Letters
Proving more than intended
George Knight [March 1996] brings
to mind a statement from The Great
Controversy: "Before accepting any
doctrine or precept, we should demand
a plain 'thus saith the Lord' in its
support" (p. 595). Why would anyone
consider it unfair or unreasonable to
follow this advice? What better counsel
could we have received? The following
is another statement expressing a
similar idea: "The Bible with its
precious gems of truth was not written
for the scholar alone. On the contrary,
it was designed for the common
people; and the interpretation given by
the common people, when aided by the
Holy Spirit, accords best with the truth
as it is in Jesus. The great truths
necessary for salvation are made clear
as the noonday, and none will mistake
and lose their way except those who
follow their own judgment instead of
the plainly revealed will of God"
(Testimonies, vol. 5, p. 331). Frank
W. Hardy, Westminster, Maryland
I am not a minister or a
theologian, but I read with interest
George Knight's article. I was
surprised by his disagreement with the
hermeneutical principle "The Word of
God is infallible; accept it as it reads."
I thought this was the rule of
interpretation that Adventists adhered
to. In A Symposium on Biblical
Interpretation, the late Gerhard Hasel
states that "the basic principle of
biblical interpretation is to take words
always in their literal sense unless
there is an unmistakable contextual
indication to the contrary," and then we
take them as they read in context.
The Bible harmonizes so beau
tifully when we take it as it reads. I
don't know why anyone would want to
impugn that. Dwight Seek, Omaha,
Nebraska
I refuse to recognize George
Knight's real meaning when he stated
If you're receiving MINISTRY bimonthly without having paid for a subscription, it's not a mistake. Since 1928 MINISTRY has been published for Seventh-day Adventist
ministers, but we believe the time has come for clergy everywhere to experience a resurgence of faith in the authority of Scripture and in the great truths that reveal the gospel of
our salvation by grace, through faith alone in Jesus Christ. We want to share with you our aspirations and faith in a way that we trust will provide inspiration and help to you too.
We hope you will accept this journal as our outstretched hand to you. Look over our shoulders, take what you want and find helpful, and discard what you cannot use. Bimonthly
gift subscriptions are available to all licensed and/or ordained clergy. Requests should be on church letterhead.
2 MINISTRY/JULY 1996
that Ellen G. White "was (and is) the
most 'authoritative' minister the
Seventh-day Adventist Church has ever
had." Why? Because he was mixing
truth with error. He was taking the fact
that Ellen G. White was the most
"authoritative" voice that the SDA
Church ever had and placed that truth
in the framework, or setting, of an
ordained minister.
Knowing very little about Ellen G.
White, or of her work and position in
the Adventist Church, nonmembers
would believe that our church accepts
the ordination of women to the gospel
ministry. And the suggestion that she
was "the most 'authoritative' minister"
would lead them to believe that she
was a minister. Knight also states, "she
exercised spiritual authority." A much
more appropriate word would be
"guidance." She exercised spiritual
guidance—not authority! She
commanded no person to obey her
words. Frank G. Sharp, Escondido,
California
I was delighted to read George
Knight's "Proving More Than
Intended." I agree with Knight when
he writes, "My point has to do with the
proper use of Scripture."
Why do we have so many problems
in our churches? Because some think
that the Bible needs no interpretation,
and those who think so do not perceive
that they put their own interpretation in
the Bible (and in the writings of E. G.
White).
I wonder how we can tolerate in our
theological seminaries and leading
positions people belonging to a society
that rejects "the use of any form of 'the
historical-critical' method in biblical
study" (see Robert Mclver, "The
Historical-Critical Method: The
Adventist Debate").
Are we returning to fundamen
talism, or do we really search with the
help of the Holy Spirit for a proper use
of Scripture? I hope to read more of
this kind of articles in Ministry.—
Emanuel Zolliker, Switzerland
George Knight responds
I always find it interesting to see
how many readers miss my point. It is
also fascinating to discover how many
of those same individuals can divine
what I don't believe based on their
reading.
Part of what I did say regarding
1 Timothy 2:11, 12 was that (1) it does
not mention ordination, (2) it does
explicitly state that women should not
speak in church, and (3) those SDAs
who say we shouldn't contextualize or
interpret the passage have put
themselves in an awkward position.
Those who opt for a plain reading
of what the text says without any
interpretation or contextualization and
yet accept Ellen G. White as a
prophet, and also conclude that Paul is
talking about the ordination of
women, have read a great deal more
into the plain teaching of the text than
those who argue for ordination.
My argument, of course, was not
an argument either for or against the
ordination of women. Rather it was a
plea to use the Bible in a consistent
manner and to follow our methodology
to its natural conclusions.
Christian belief should be
based on a plain "thus saith the Lord,"
but we need to be certain that we are
truly hearing the Lord and not just
echoes of our own preconceptions. I
would agree with the letter from F. W.
Hardy (cited above) that it is the
'"great truths necessary for salvation
[that] are made as clear as the
noonday.'" But it is one of the great
tragedies of history that churches
spend the bulk of their time arguing
over those things not essential for
salvation. But if I were the devil, that
is how I would engineer the shape of
Christian dialogue. George Knight,
Berrien Springs, Michigan
First Glance

Last January, after more than a third of a century's absence, 2 Letters

I visited the small town of my birth. Gweru, Zimbabwe, is now
distinctly postcolonial Africa, and part of a nation moving 4 Write for Ministry!
inexorably into an identity distinctly its own. Will Eva
Something unforgettable happened when we stopped at a
5 Dealing with AIDS!
supermarket. As we got out of the car, a host of small boys
Bruce C. Moyer
gathered about us, offering to "watch our car" while we went
shopping. I decided to commission a particularly engaging 8- or ^ AIDS: fear and compassion
10-year-old to take on this responsibility. When we returned to Harvey A. Elder, M.D.
the car we found our man definitely on duty. I asked him how
much he expected to be paid for his work. "Anything you would 10 AIDS and the church in Africa
like to give me, sir" was his reply. Saleem A. Farag and Joel N. Musvosvi
His encounter with me was clearly a major happening in his
day. But there was an unmistakable shadow of chronic 14 AIDS: wrestling with fear and grief
desperation about him, and his features were subtly lined with a Millie White
caliber of fear that one simply denies could possibly be part of 1§ The crisis of suicide
the world of such a beautiful boy. I gave him what was to him a Vern R. Andress
handsome payment. For his eyes got all the brighter, and he
danced with joy as both his hands took the offering. Who was 22 AIDS and Adventist youth
he, and what was his story? Gary L. Hopkins, Joyce W. Hopp, Helen P. Hopp,
Later, while reading Saleem Farag and Joel Musvosvi's Christine Neish, and Gayle Rhoads
article, "AIDS and the Church in Africa," it dawned on me that
the boy I met on the street of my town was almost certainly one 28 World Ministers Council Southern Asia Division
of the 50,000 Zimbabwe AIDS orphans.
29 Seminary evangelism new directions
Along with the revelation of this possibility came the
Benjamin Schoun
realization that distant as Africa is to most of us, this boy could
actually have been on any street, either now or in our future. 30 Conserving the catch
The articles of this issue are dedicated almost exclusively to James A. Cress
the grotesque horrors of AIDS, what it is and does, and how we
may pastor the people and families held in its grasp. 31 Shop Talk

Cover illustration: Jerry Pavey

Ministry is the international journal Rex D. Edwards Ekkhardt Mueller, Euro-Africa Ministry, (ISSN 0026-5314), the interna
of the Seventh-day Adventist Walter L. Pearson, Jr. P.O. Box 219, CH 3000 tional journal of the Seventh-day Adventist
Ministerial Association. Joel Sarli Berne 32, Switzerland Ministerial Association 1996, is published
Michael A. Speegle Heikki Silvet, Euro-Asia monthly by the General Conference of
ASSOCIATION SECRETARY: Isakovskogo St. #4, Korpus 1, Seventh-day Adventists and printed by the
James A. Cress CONSULTING EDITORS: Stroghino, 123181 Moscow, Russia Review and Herald Publishing Association,
Matthew Bediako Jaime Castrejon, Inter-America 55 West Oak Ridge Drive, Hagerstown, MD
EDITOR: Willmore D. Eva Ellen Bresee P.O. Box 140760 21740, U.S.A. Subscriptions: US$25.00 for
Fioyd Bresee Miami, FL 33114-0760 12 issues worldwide, air mail US$39.85.
ASSISTANT EDITOR: Julia W. Norcott Gerard Damsteegt Single copy US$2.25. Member Associated
William C. Scales, Jr., North America
Raoul Dederen Church Press. Second-class postage paid at
12501 Old Columbia Pike
SEMINAR DIRECTOR: Robert Folkenberg Hagerstown, MD. This publication is avail
Silver Spring, MD 20904
Nikolaus Satelmajer John M. Fowler able in microfilm from University Microfilms
Alejandro Bullon, South America
Roland R. Hegstad International. Call toll-free 1 -800-521 -3044.
Karen Holtbrd Caixa Postal 12-2600
SPECIAL ASSISTANT EDITORS: Or mail inquiry to: Univerity Microfilms
Herbert Kiesler 70279 Brasilia. DF, Brazil International, 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann
Miguel Angel Cerna
Alfred C. McClure Eric Winter, South Pacific Arbor, MI 48106. PRINTED IN U.S.A.
Esther F. R. Knott
Eric C. Ward George W. Reid 148 Fox Valley Road
Angel Rodriguez Wahroonga, N.S.W. 2076, Australia Editorial Office: 12501 Old Columbia Pike,
EDITOR EMERITUS: J. Robert Spangler Ariel Roth John Willmott, Southern Asia Silver Spring, MD 20904. Stamped, self-
William H. Shea SDA Complex, Post Box 2, HCF addressed envelope should accompany
PASTORAL ADVISORY: Russell L. Staples Hosur, Tamil Nadu, India 635110 unsolicited manuscripts. Office telephone:
J. Ray Bailey Richard Tibbits Peter Roennfeldt, Trans-European 301-680-6510; Fax: 301-680-6502. E-mail
S. Peter Campbell 119 St. Peter's Street via CompuServe: 102555,70 or 74532,2425.
Charles Ferguson INTERNATIONAL EDITORS: St. Albans, Herts, AL1 3EY, U.K.
Desmond Francis Walton Whaley, Africa-Indian Ocean Postmaster: Send address changes to
Robert Lloyd 22 Boite Postale 1764 COVER DESIGN: Harry Knox Ministry, 55 West Oak Ridge Drive,
Sam Miller Abidjan 22, Cote d'lvoire, Hagerstown, MD 21740.
Dwight Nelson West Africa LAYOUT: Regina Hayden
Donald Stoyanowski George Johnson, Asia Pacific
Eric C. Ward 5 Temasek Blvd., #10-01 Suntec City Tower MARKETING: Mark Thomas
Singapore 038985. Rep. of Singapore
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS: Joel Musvosvi, Eastern Africa ADVERTISING SALES: Melynie Tooley
Galen Bosley P.O. Box H.G. 100, Highlands
Sharon Cress Harare, Zimbabwe, Africa SUBSCRIBER SERVICES: Steve Hanson Volume 69 Number 7
MINISTRY/JULY 1996 3
Editorial
Write for Ministry!
Will Eva
H
ave you thought seriously
about writing for Ministry!
What keeps you from doing it?
You may feel that you would like
to write, but can't find the time to do
something that is not crucial to all you
are called upon to do. Another restraint
may be your private misgivings that
what you have to say might not be
worthy of publication. You may feel
that your ideas are a bit far to the right
for some, or a little left for others, or,
worst of all, irrelevant. There may be
some procedural questions that stand
in the way of writing, such as: What
does Ministry actually want by way
of subject matter? How many words
should I write? What will they do with
what I submit? Will I be turned down?
What will I be paid?
Stripped down to its essence,
Ministry is simply a forum for the
exchange of our best thoughts and
ideas. To me, the subject matter we
all look for falls into three categories:
inspiration, information, and issues. In
a given monthly issue we usually have
three or four articles on the theme of
that month, with the remaining articles
covering other pastoral concerns. We
always seek to publish articles that are
practical to the daily life of pastors all
over the world.
Suggested themes
Please take a look at the following
themes and see if you find one or two
you would like to write about during the
next two years: Seventh-day Adventists
and the Second Coming of Christ. The
pastor's personal budget, especially in
high cost areas. Youth and young adult
4 MINISTRY/JULY 1996
ministry. The pastor as a leader. The
Sabbath and Seventh-day Adventists
today. Ministerial marriage and family.
Diversity of church practice in time
and place. The pastor and the Holy
Spirit. What is an effective church? The
essential characteristics of a successful
pastor. Renewing the call to ministry.
Pastoring in multiple-church districts.
Pastors as keepers of the soul. Pastoring
in small churches. Divorce and remar
riage. A pastorally oriented view of the
issues of salvation. The pastor and his
or her preparation for retirement.
Homiletics preaching the Bible with
meaning. Dealing with difficult people.
Speaking to the secular mind. Inter
denominational relationships. The
development of doctrine in the SDA
Church. Forgiveness.
Besides articles, we look forward
to receiving any ideas at all for the
improvement of the journal. As always,
Shop Talk ideas are very welcome.
We plan to expand this column
starting next January. We are also
eager to receive articles from all
our readers regardless of denomina
tional background. We are especially
in need of articles from outside the
Americans context.
Some guidelines for writing
When it comes to actually sitting
down to write, here are some important
considerations:
Query before writing. Contact the
editorial office with your topic, outline,
qualifications for writing. If available,
send a sample of your writing.
Write with an international
awareness.
Articles with 1,500 to 2,500
words are preferred.
Manuscripts should be typed,
double-spaced in average-sized font,
with numbered pages. If possible,
articles should be sent on a diskette
in WordPerfect format together with
a hard copy.
Use endnotes rather than foot
notes. For legal reasons, all endnotes
must be verified by our editorial
staff, so please include a photocopy
of all citations and bibliographic
information.
Name, address, telephone and
fax numbers, social security number
(if appropriate) should be on the first
page.
Enclose a self-addressed, stamped
envelope if you would like your
manuscript returned (if not accepted).
Non-United States authors should
enclose self-addressed envelope only.
Payment for articles is care
fully considered, but subjective and
usually around US$150.
If you have further questions
about writing for the journal, just let
us know and we will send you our
pamphlet, "Writer's Guidelines."
When we receive your manuscript,
we will be as prompt as possible in
acknowledging it and getting you a
response about its acceptance or
rejection. If accepted, please under
stand that it is often difficult to
schedule an article for publication as
early as you might expect it to appear.
So, go for it! Write for the glory
of God! There are pastors all over the
world who will benefit from your
insight and experience.
Guest Editorial.
Dealing with
AIDS!
Bruce C. Moyer
It is a disease that calls upon Christians to
demonstrate compassion, love, and
personal acceptance.
A
IDS is not the sort of thing
we want to talk about at the
table over supper. We don't
want to admit that this kind of
thing affects us as Christians. But
it does affect us, and we must talk
about it.
The bad news is that HIV/AIDS
is an equal opportunity pandemic.
The HIV virus does not ask questions
about our religion, age, sex, life
style, or sexual preference. It
crosses all social, political, and
economic lines. The good news is
that AIDS can be avoided. But we
must begin by not avoiding it. That
is, we must face it, and talk about
it. We must talk about it at church,
at our schools, and in our homes.
We cannot close our eyes and ears
hoping that it will go away. It
won't! We cannot assume that our
children and youth are immune.
They are not!
A number of Adventists have
been doing battle with this infection
for a number of years. The church
has not been silent, but the voices
of those who have spoken have been
partially muted by widespread
denial. In the past year a number of
Bruce C. Moyer, S.T.D., is the associate
director of the Institute of World Mission at
Andrews University in Berrien Springs,
Michigan. He formerly worked as the Senior
Advisor on AIDS for ADRA International.
these people, including some of the
authors in this issue, have formed
the Adventist AIDS Network. This is
a network of Adventists who are
concerned about and involved in a
compassionate response to HIV/
AIDS, and the prevention of its
spread. For further information
about this network please contact
the Adventist AIDS Network,
Sutherland House, Andrews University,
Berrien Springs, Michigan 49103.
The network can be reached on
CompuServe at 74617,2465.
The articles in this issue have
been carefully and prayerfully
written and call for a new and
clarion realization that we are
dealing with a pandemic that has
infected and is terrorizing millions
of men, women, and children in
every part of the world. This is a
disease that easily has the potential
of eclipsing the Black Death of
Europe.
AIDS has been called, by some,
the leprosy of the late twentieth
century. It is a disease that calls
upon Christians to demonstrate
compassion, love, and personal
acceptance. It calls us to reach
out, as Jesus did, to the lepers of
His day, touching people with
healing, forgiveness, and practical
demonstrations of compassionate
ministry and inclusiveness.
Kettering Clergy
Care Center's
Ministry
/«> ti*t'«%
Care
Does your organization
subscribe?
- Great, then use itl
Forget your access number?
Call 1-800-324-8618.
JVo
'O - Call for information
to become a subscribing
organization.
The purpose of Keftering's
Ministry Care Line is to
give church professionals
and their immediate family
members confidential 800
number access to the support
and consultation a trained
Christian mental health worker
can provide. This is for you,
your family, and your ministry
to others.
For more information
contact:
Robert Peach, Director
Ministry Care Line of
Kettering Clergy Care Center
1 259 East Dorothy Lane
Kettering, OH 45419
1-800-324-861 8 (business line)
CompuServe: 74617,261 3
MINISTRY/JULY 1996 5
AIDS: fear and compassion
Harvey A. Elder, M.D. "I'd like to be her friend, but I
think she has AIDS in her family."
"No, I'm not going to a church
that accepts people with AIDS. What
kind ofpeople do you think we are ? "
"He has AIDS. He should not
hold a church office."
Reducing irrational "I don't want to wash his feet. I
fears. Opening could get AIDS."
"I don't want to baptize her. I'm
our hearts. afraid of catching AIDS from her."
Understanding how
A
IDS. Even the word brings fear
AIDS is and is not to the hearts of brave people.
We avoid it. But AIDS is! It is
communicated. more than just four letters. It is a
powerful word. AIDS powerfully
affects people. Many of us transfer
our fear of AIDS to people who may
have, or who we suspect may have,
AIDS. In doing this we create the
problem: "How, as compassionate
people, do we deal with our fears,
without abandoning people with
AIDS and without abandoning people
with high-risk behaviors who may
yet get AIDS?"
Information dispels fear. Factual
information allows us to separate
valid concerns from irrational fears.
Let's examine the facts about AIDS,
its cause, and methods of trans
mission. Then we can know when we
Harvey A. Elder, M.D.,
;*"*»,, is professor of medicine, are at risk and when we are not. With
Loma Linda University well-gathered information we can
School of Medicine, respond intelligently to valid concerns
Loma Linda, California. while quieting our irrational fears.
Acting on factual information makes
us able to minister to those affected
by HIV without being limited by
irrational fears of contracting AIDS
ourselves.
6 MINISTRY/JULY 1996
How HIV/AIDS functions in the
human body
HIV (human immunodeficiency
virus) causes AIDS (acquired immune
deficiency syndrome). The documen
tation for this fact is stronger, better
established, and more persuasive than
the support for any other theory or
belief regarding the cause for this
disease. A virus "lives" only in a
living cell. Outside the cell it is just a
collection of inert molecules. A virus
acquires "life" only as its molecules
bind to a living cell allowing the virus
to enter and capture the cell. Once it
enters, the virus forces the cell to do
its bidding. Most viruses are very
"particular," binding only to certain
cells. Virus binding depends upon a
certain match.
The binding molecules of a virus fit
only certain molecular arrangements,
similar to a key and lock. The virus
"key" molecule fits only certain
molecular "locks." Only a critical
molecular arrangement on the cell
surface matches the virus. A virus
must contact the molecular "lock" that
fits its molecular "key" so the virus
can bind, enter, and grow. This
becomes clearer when we look at HIV.
HIV remains lifeless unless it enters
one of the cells with a matching
molecular lock. When exposed to air,
HIV and its surrounding fluid dries
and gradually loses its ability to bind
to a living cell. 1 It dies!
HIV, being the human variety of
immunodeficiency virus, must find a
human cell. It cannot live and multiply
in cells of other animals or insects.
Only humans can acquire and transmit
HIV. Animals and insects play no role.
HIV does not bind to just any human
cell; it binds to cells that have the
CD4 marker2 as their molecular lock.
If we identify which human cells
have CD4 markers and how HIV gets
to these cells, we can develop a
prevention plan.
Scientists found CD4 markers on
only a few human cells. 3
1. Certain lymphocytes called "T-
helper cells" have CD4 binding sites.
These cells inhabit lymph
nodes and wander through the
blood vessels to tissue and, via
lymphatic vessels, meander
back to lymph nodes. They are
As we minister to others,
also present in a few body He transforms us into
fluids such as pus, semen,
vaginal secretions, spinal
ministers of His peace. In
fluid, and human milk. all this we live for the
2. We have a group of
"garbage collector" cells praise of His glory.
called "macrophages." These __
large cells wander through the
body "eating" and destroying
tissue debris, cancer cells, and many
kinds of infectious organisms. These
cells are also present in blood, pus,
and injured tissue.
HIV multiplies rapidly in a T-
helper lymphocyte. In this way, in
less than 48 hours, thousands of
new HIV can be released! 4 These
released HIV attach to CD4 binding
sites of new T-helper lymphocytes
and repeat the cycle. With this kind
of com-pounded multiplication,
within a few weeks of first meeting
HIV, the infected human will be
producing more than one billion new
HIV every day!
The body fluids in which HIV lives
and moves (such as the blood and
bloody fluids, pus, semen, vaginal
secretions, human milk, and cerebral
spinal fluid mentioned above) often
contain the HIV in T-helper lym
phocytes. If these are fluids from
recently infected people, they contain
large numbers of HIV. Within a few
months of infection the person's
immune system acquires the ability to
partially control the multiplication of
HIV. Then HIV multiplication slows,
and these fluids come to contain fewer
HIV. However, as persistent HIV
infection progressively destroys the
immune system, patients become
symptomatic, and the blood level of
HIV rises again. With advanced AIDS,
HIV multiplies faster.
HIV does not "take over" all body
fluids. Most body fluids other than
blood, pus, semen, vaginal secretions,
human milk, and cerebral spinal fluid
have no HIV or very low levels.
Certain body fluids, such as saliva,
actually kill HIV.5 We know which
fluids contain HIV and which do not.
How HIV is spread
How does HIV spread? To answer
this question we need to look at
activities that transmit HIV.
1. Certain sexual activities transmit
HIV. Sexual intercourse, whether
heterosexual or homosexual, trans
mits microbes from partner to partner.
These microorganisms may persist in
their host for years. Thus the genitalia
of sexually active people can carry the
genital microbes of all their sexual
partners during the previous five
years. These microbes can be HIV, or
agents for other sexually transmitted
diseases.
The sexual activity that stretches
the anus tears the lining mucosa and
exposes cells with CD4 markers. This
makes anal sex the most efficient way
of transmitting HIV. However, all
forms of intercourse, regardless of the
body orifice used, can transmit HIV.
2. Blood transmits HIV. Blood
and blood products from the United
States, northern Europe, Australia,
and New Zealand are very (but not
absolutely) safe.6 Reused needles and
syringes for drug use carry blood from
previous users; hence, these fre
quently transmit HIV.
3. About one fourth of the babies
of HIV-infected mothers in the United
States develop HIV infections. The
fetus can be exposed to HIV while
developing in the uterus or during
delivery. The newborn may also
acquire HIV through its
mother's milk.
4. HIV crosses diseased
or cut skin, and causes in
fection by attaching to cells
in the deepest skin layer. HIV
has not been shown to cross
normal skin.
Conditions that do not
transmit HIV/AIDS
__ By 1984 epidemiologists
had identified the first three
of the above four routes for
the spread of HIV/AIDS. During the
subsequent 12 years, despite intense
research, no additional routes have
been discovered. Only rarely has HIV
crossed skin broken by disease or
trauma and initiated HIV infection.7
Still other methods of transmission
may exist, but if they do, they occur
very rarely.
These logical arguments have been
empirically documented by labora
tory and epidemiological studies.
For example, people who live with
"people with AIDS" (PWA) do not
acquire HIV infection unless they are
sex partners or share needles and
syringes. Family members sharing
kitchen, bathrooms, the same dishes
and dishwater, even without special
disinfection do not get HIV infection.
Eating food prepared by PWA does
not transmit the virus. The same
question goes for washing family
laundry with laundry from a PWA.
Even sharing the same toothbrush
and razor, though this is not recom
mended regardless of HIV status, has
not transmitted HIV. Though kissing
on the cheek or lips does not spread
HIV, deep kissing can. Mosquitoes
MINISTRY/JULY 1996 7
and other biting insects do not
transmit HIV. 8 (Some authorities
believe HIV can be transmitted
through insect bites.)
Ministering without fear
Let us return to our first question:
"How, as compassionate people, do we
deal with our fears? How do we deal
with fear without abandoning people
with AIDS?
The following facts can dispel most
of our fears.
1. Sex with an HIV-infected partner
transmits 75 percent of AIDS in the
United States and 80 percent of AIDS
globally. Sex in the sanctity of
marriage between two who are HIV-
free and who have been and are
committed to lifelong monogamy is
absolutely safe.
2. Intervenous injection drug use
transmits 23 percent of AIDS in the
U.S. and 6 percent of AIDS world
wide. We minister best to those with
drug habits by encouraging them to
enter treatment programs. "Tough
love" is the most compassionate
ministry for a person still using drugs.
Until they are "clean and sober" for
more than a month, verbal ministries
and acts of compassion only encourage
addiction.
3. Blood transmits about 1 percent
of AIDS in the U.S. and 6 percent of
AIDS globally. While receiving blood
has some risk, it is absolutely safe to
donate blood in most countries. We
who have no risk behaviors may
minister in lifesaving ways when we
systematically donate blood as often as
every two months.
4. Maternal-fetal transmission
accounts for 1 percent of U.S. AIDS
cases and 8 percent of global AIDS
cases. Today this transmission can be
decreased by expensive drug therapy
for the mother and the newborn.9
Showing care and compassion
How can we show care and com
passion to those who are HIV/AIDS
positive? By doing the things loving
people do. We can bring them to church,
sit with them, and invite them to our
8 MINISTRY/JULY 1996
potluck dinners. And we can eat some
of the food they bring! They can serve
and be served during the ordinance of
humility. Pastors can safely enter the
baptismal font with them. 10 We need to
have people who are affected and those
who are infected by HIV as integral parts
of our parishes.
We can invite them to our homes.
They can use our bathroom facilities.
They can safely hold our children if the
child does not have an infection. When
our hands have no obvious cuts or
eczema, we may touch them. We may
touch them on the arm or shoulder, in
areas where their skin has no obvious
cuts or other lesions. We may hug them
and kiss them on the cheek.
We and our churches are called by
God to be incarnational centers of
redemption. When we follow Jesus'
charge to "go and make disciples," some
of them will be infected with HIV, some
with other loathsome diseases. There are
no exceptions to our marching orders.
The people Christ welcomes into His
arms are those who feed the hungry, give
drink to the thirsty, take in strangers,
clothe the naked, care for the sick with
acts of kindness, and visit those in prison.
However, these people are precious
to God. God's children have many
maladies. Some have AIDS and are
dying. We have the privilege of loving
and caring for them.
God, us, and AIDS victims
We serve those with HIV infection
and AIDS because we ourselves know
something of brokenness. We know the
hopelessness and despair of deserved
lostness. We know that God, who showed
us mercy, gives mercy to the unde
serving. We, just as they, have never
deserved God's grace. We must all come
and fall before God in adoration and
praise. He loved us! He wanted us! He
found us! He saved us when we were
rebels deserving death! God lavished us
with His incomparable love. Dazzled by
His incomprehensible mercy, we serve
those with HIV infection and AIDS.
They, as we were, are broken and suffer.
Daily they suffer as we suffered.
Gratitude demands that we serve those
who are as we were; we can do no less.
We are constrained to extravagantly
lavish His grace on others without
restraint.
In obedience we confront our fears.
In obedience we experience God's
greatness as He disarms our fears. Caring
for those affected by HIV, we meet Christ
ministering to their loss and grief. We
see Him as the one who never leaves or
abandons. Looking back, we realize that
His compassion created our caring, His
love formed our love. As we share, our
gifts are anointed by His Spirit. Taking
steps of service, we walk His path. In
reaching out to touch, we find His hand
guides our fingers. When speaking, His
voice speaks tender words through
our mouth. He takes our imperfect,
conditional, broken love and uses it to
heal the suffering of others. As we
minister to others, He transforms us into
ministers of His peace. In all this we live
for the praise of His glory.
1 L. Resnick, K. Veren, Z. Salahuddin, et al.
"Stability and Inactivation of HTLV-III/LAV
Under Clinical and Laboratory Environments."
Journal of American Medical Association
255:1887-1891.
1 J. N. Weber, R. A. Weiss, "HIV Infection:
The Cellular Picture." Scientific American 259:
101-109.
3 R. A. Weiss, "How Does HIV Cause AIDS?"
Science 260: 1273-1279.
' J. Conn, "High Turnover of HIV in Blood
Revealed by New Studies." Science 267: 179; T.
Beardsley, "Fighting All the Time." Scientific
American 111: 26. 27.
5 D. H. Coppenhaver, P. Sriyuktasuth-Woo, S.
Baron, et al. "Correlation of Nonspecific
Antiviral Activity With the Ability to Isolate
Infectious HIV-1 From Saliva." New England
Journal of'Medicine 330: 1314, 1315.
6 S. S. Roberts. "Blood Safety in the Age of
AIDS," FASEB Journal 10: 390-402.
7 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"Update: Human Immunodeficiency Virus
Infections in Health-Care Workers Exposed to
Blood of Infected Patients," Morbidity and
Mortality Weekly Reports 36: 285-289.
8 L. Mike, Do Insects Transmit AIDS? Office
of Technology Assessment, Congress of the
United States. Superintendent of Documents,
Sept. 1987.
9 E. M. Connor, R. S. Sperling, R. Gelber, et
al. "Reduction of Maternal-Infant Transmission
of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 With
Zidovudine Treatment," New England Journal of
Medicine 331: 1173-1180.
10 B. C. Moyer, "The Caring Church and HIV;
Special Issues of Concern to Pastors," in
Compassion in a Time of AIDS: A Resource
Manual (Lincoln, Nebr.: Church Resources
Distribution Center, 1994), pp. 39-55.
 At times, the Bible can intimidate even the
most fearless Christian. Yet this incredible gift
from God holds the wisdom of the ages and
the secret of everlasting life.
Take the time to explore God's precious Word like never
before with The Abundant Life Bible Amplifier. You
won't find the Bible Amplifier either boring or over your
head. Instead, you'll delight in this refreshing way to
unlock the meaning of God's Word. Written by some of
today's most illustrious Bible scholars, such as George
Knight, William Johnsson, and Alden Thompson, each
amplifier in the series probes the deepest Bible mysteries
through a system of study that begins with your own
prayerful Scripture reading.

Journey through each Bible passage by:

Getting Into the Word »» Exercises for asking questions and learning more about the Bible.
Exploring the Word »» A discussion of the major themes in each biblical book.
Applying the Word »» A practical tool for applying the Bible's lessons to your daily life.
Researching the Word »» Delve more deeply into the passage and its historical context.
Further Study of the Word »» A list of sources for further study.
i
The Abundant Life Bible Amplifier series.
Creative tools for a richer devotional experience.
i
Discover the Bible's devotional treasures in The Abundant Life Bible Amplifier, the perfect tool for a more
meaningful personal Bible study. Use the series for sharing spiritual growth, too through small group study,
home fellowships and prayer meetings.
<4K ; -.- .ef'
* J" '^nua&fSfc '

I From Pacific Press paper US$ 12.99/Cdn$ 18.99; hardcover US$ 1 7.99/Cdn$25.99.
Available at your local Adventist Book Center, or call toll free 1-8OO-765-6955.
AIDS and the church in Africa
Saleem A. Farag
U
nited States or Uganda. India
or Zimbabwe. Taiwan or Ar
and Joel N. Musvosvi gentina. AIDS has become a
worldwide scourge. No country is
immune to its ravages. No community
is free from its devastating effects.
Practical Spiritually, emotionally, physically,
and medically it is one of the deadliest
implications for the diseases, if not the deadliest, ever to
strike the human race. In Zimbabwe
church worldwide one person dies of AIDS or AIDS-
related diseases every half hour. A
1995 World Health Organization
survey estimated that HIV infections
worldwide stood at 17 million, with
approximately 12 million cases located
in sub-Saharan Africa, followed by
South and Southeast Asia, with about
3 million. Inaccurate diagnoses, along
with incomplete and delayed reporting,
have kept this figure much lower than
it probably is in actuality. Further, in
50 countries outside the sub-Sahara
region, the estimated HIV prevalence
Saleem A. Farag, Ph.D.,
is chair of the
rate was 5 per 10,000 sexually active
Interdenominational adults, while in 15 sub-Saharan
AIDS Committee in countries the rate was 500 per 10,000,
Harare, Zimbabwe. or 100 times as many. 1
"Ironically this disease [AIDS] is
essentially preventable. The aban
donment of sexual promiscuity,
homosexuality, and drug abuse could
eventually stop it in its tracks, though
that is hardly likely to prove an
JoelN. Musvosvi, Ph.D.,
acceptable or practical solution."2 If
is the ministerial
secretary of the Eastern sexual promiscuity was not endemic,
Africa Division of AIDS would not be pandemic.
Seventh-day Adventists,
Harare, Zimbabwe. AIDS and the breakdown of society
All over the world AIDS seems to
have people in its grasp. It is destroying
not only bodies but also the very social
structures, such as the family, that have
10 MINISTRY/JULY 1996
contributed to the maintenance of
morality throughout the centuries.
Consider the agony of Africa.
Poverty, the economic exploitation of
many by few, and political instability
have created a social situation in
which bare existence has become a
debilitating impossibility. In the wake
of AIDS millions of children go
hungry each night and suffer from
severe malnutrition. As a result,
numerous women have resorted to
prostitution to feed their families.
The result? HIV has significantly
affected Africa's female population.
As Professor McCeen Ankrah of
Makerere University, Uganda, says:
"The use of sex to generate income
places increasing numbers of young
women at risk of HIV infection and
transmission." "I did not sell my
daughter," Ankrah quotes a parent.
"She saw me suffering and wanted to
help." Such tragic situations are
confined not only to the poor and
illiterate but to out-of-work graduates
as well.
The human tragedy of AIDS
This is not to say that HIV/AIDS is
simply a problem of poorer countries.
The disease does not recognize
political boundaries, economic status,
race, or creed. It is a lifestyle malady,
and it affects people everywhere,
whether they choose such a lifestyle
out of economic desperation or sheer
abandon.
AIDS presents itself not only as a
personal and family tragedy, but also
as a national one. The majority of
people who die of AIDS are between
the ages of 15 and 35. This age group
represents the most economically one fourth being children.4 chastity and fidelity have been largely
productive sector of a society. These Traditionally African society had ignored in the rhetoric of societies as
are also the ones in whom educational no such thing as an orphan. When they expound on the AIDS issue. In
resources have been invested. Their the social structure was intact, the all of this the church, reflecting societal
death leaves a country economically extended family immediately adopted ambivalence, has generally been
and socially depleted. In the developing any child who lost his or her parents. almost as tentative. In the United
countries, where there is a shortage of In many African countries economic States 74.4 percent of girls and 90
skilled personnel, this is a particularly turmoil and civil unrest have severely percent of boys have had sex outside
devastating phenomenon. disrupted these structures. The tra of marriage before the age of 18.
The tragedy is compounded when ditional concept of an extended family Instead of upholding the divine
one considers that most of these has come under so much stress that principles of morality and relational
developing countries hardly have the societies have not been able to deal integrity, the church, in the name of
resources to care for AIDS-afflicted with the problem of orphans, espe love, has at least tacitly agreed with the
patients. Economic realities force these cially in the numbers generated by the customs and values of what societies
countries to cut the "soft" ^^ ^^^ generally advocate.
areas of health care and The church must see that
education in favor of defense, the story of AIDS is not about
agriculture, mining, and The church must see epidemiology, economics, or
business. The health budget of
many of the developing
that the story of AIDS is statistics. Rather it is the story
of pain, anguish, fear, and
countries is about US$3 per not about epidemiology, neglect.
person per year. How could
such countries afford expensive economics, or statistics. World culture, the sexual
AIDS treatments?
In the United States the
Rather it is the story revolution, and AIDS
In the past, African culture
average cost of caring for an of pain, anguish, fear, and morality sustained itself
AIDS patient is approximately around two great traditional
US$32,000 per year, as com and neglect. pillars, both rooted in the
pared to less than $400 in family and culture. One was
sub-Saharan Africa. Even premarital chastity, with no
though Africa has approximately 70 multitude of parental deaths caused sanction for sexual contact before
percent of the world's HIV infections, by AIDS. Thus the thousands of marriage. The other was marital
it has attracted only 2.8 percent of the defenseless children who now make faithfulness, with no room for
US$1.2 billion spent on HIV prevention the street their home. extramarital sexual expression.
programs. Ready access to good health Tribal, cultural, ethical, and religious
care is one of the main factors Aids: the challenge to the church forces supported these values in
determining long-term survival for The ultimate test of the church is much of Africa.
HIV-infected people. While in the spiritual maturity of its people. A fourfold fear also supported
Western countries people with HIV Nowhere is this maturity more tried these values: fear of what the tribe,
survive for 10 or more years, the than in the way the church responds the family, friends, and relatives
average patient in Africa has only 15 to the cry of suffering human beings might say; fear of God, because
months to live. The difference is the in and around it. In today's context, religion was still an active force in
availability and affordability of good AIDS represents the ultimate cry of society; fear of unwanted pregnancy
health care.3 suffering. Upsetting as it might be, that would bring shame to the family
The human tragedy of AIDS does when it comes to AIDS many church and the tribe; and fear of sexually
not end with the death of the patient, members, ministers, and leaders have transmitted diseases.
but transfers to an entire generation of chosen to look the other way, as did A sexual revolution has swept
orphaned children. Zimbabwe alone the priest and the Levite on the Africa. As the many forms of tech
estimates an orphan population of Jericho road. nology have moved rather suddenly
50,000 as a direct result of AIDS. One area in which the church has onto the African scene, traditional
Almost overnight these children find no excuse is the area of proclamation. African values have been shaken.
themselves on the streets having to The church exists to proclaim. We all Western sexual perspectives, along
fend for themselves. By the year 2000 know that AIDS can be prevented by with movies, pop music, discos,
it is estimated that HIV infections living with chastity before marriage videos, alcohol, free drug use, and the
worldwide could be around 40 million, and fidelity in marriage. Yet both products of the "sexual revolution"
MINISTRY/JULY 1996 11
 have all had their impact. Other causes
include the breakdown of parental
control and increasing urbanization.
The "free love" philosophy has replaced
traditional African sexual mores and
behavior.
Most African tribal cultures __
are profertility and prosexuality,
but within strictly defined limits.
However, with urbanization,
The majority of people who
technological development, and die of AIDS are between
independence such limits lost
their bearings, widening the
the ages of 15 and 35.
road for promiscuous sexual __
behavior and AIDS. Added to
the cultural breakdown and the invasion
of a morally loose lifestyle came
tentative political and governmental
action against AIDS. This hesitation,
along with economic limitations, exacer
bated the AIDS problem in many African
countries.
In some Western countries children
may be given explicit sex education,
and may even be introduced to the use
of pills and condoms, but for a multitude
of reasons African tradition and culture
do not make such sex education and
AIDS prevention programs easily
available. Materials provided under
Western auspices are often so explicit
that many African communities
consider them pornographic. Bitter
protests from families have led to the
removal of such sex education from
school curricula.
Never before have family values
been more seriously challenged. The
United Nations Declarations of the
Rights of the Child and the Rights of
the Adolescent, including the advocacy
of highly controversial sexual and
reproductive rights, have challenged
the foundation of Christian and
traditional African homes in which
morality, fidelity, and the heterosexual
family unit have been so strong,
and in which appropriate parental
authority and influence have been
maintained.
In a rapidly evolving world under a
"new moral world order" many in very
influential places, such as the United
Nations, are attempting a redefinition
of family. According to them, family
12 MINISTRY/JULY 1996
may be defined as two men, two
women, a man and a woman, or a man
or a. woman. In this family, adolescents
and children have "sexual rights" and
can make choices including having
access to contraceptives and abortion,
with or without parental consent, if they
so choose. Thus sex is finally separated
from the serious business of morality,
marriage, reproduction, and family.
The challenge to the church
Against such powerful and world
wide trends, the church has the
formidable task of championing
chastity before marriage and fidelity
in marriage. It must find ways of
effectively crying aloud and sparing
not, particularly when it comes to
maintaining high moral and spiritual
standards in human sexuality. Pastors,
evangelists, teachers, youth leaders,
and others must rediscover the positive
discipline of life as it is in Christ so
that we will not be pressured into
embracing destructive "new" morality
trends. We need a spiritual awakening
that will enlighten us about the forces
that exist to squeeze and conform us
into destructive philosophies and
behaviors.
What should the Seventh-day
Adventist Church do to arrest the
deteriorating sexual situation? It is not
enough to climb Mount Sinai and
proclaim the Ten Commandments. We
need to do more, particularly in the
areas of proclamation, counseling, and
support.
Proclamation begins with the
church living out God's plan for human
sexuality within the bonds of marriage.
The immutable standards that govern
sexual relationships must be affirmed.
Pastors and youth leaders need to find
ways of effectively pointing out that
sexual relationships are not a question
of "free choice" and "safe sex," but part
of a great divine moral order. Human
behavior cannot be guided by what is
available through technology. A techni
cal advance that provides a way of
__ preventing pregnancy or a
medical insight that cures
disease cannot be consulted as
a basis for moral direction.
The higher moral standard of
who we are, whose we are,
and who we are ever called
__ by God to be, is clearly more
definitive and compelling.
Focusing on God's intention for
human sexuality clearly shows that
sex is a beautiful experience, a gift
from the Creator to be enjoyed within
the realm of marriage. Such focus
would challenge adolescents to look
at sex in a more wholistic way.
Counseling is the second area of
opportunity for the church to work with
those infected with the HIV virus and
AIDS. They and their families are in
serious need.
One 24-year-old AIDS patient said,
"I wish I could have seen God's plan as
clearly before as I do now after I have
been infected. Why was my vision so
dim and my spiritual perception so dull?
Why couldn't I have seen the beauty and
reasonableness of God's plan for a
happy and healthy family?"
No other disease can subdue the
heart and soften the soul to the
pleading of the Spirit as does AIDS! It
provides an excellent opportunity for
the minister to give hope and courage
to patients who have lost hope. One
young AIDS patient, who had not
been a Christian, accepted Jesus as
her Saviour in her last few days of life
and was baptized into the Seventh-day
Adventist Church. She said, "I know
that one day soon I will be raised in
immortality and will see my Lord face-
to-face. I am not afraid of dying. My
only concern is for my mother and
family members who are not Christians."
She asked the minister to tell her
mother about Jesus and requested that
he preach on the second coming of
Christ at her funeral service when all
her relatives would be present. Today
her mother and a large number of her
relatives have joined the church.
The pastor who cared for this
person said, "In all of my 20 some
years in the ministry, I have never
found more fertile ground for the
pleadings of the Holy Spirit than
among HIV/AIDS patients and their
relatives and friends."
Seminars on how to counsel AIDS
patients have become a regular feature
in Zimbabwe. Hundreds of Seventh-
day Adventist pastors and ministers
from other denominations have
received such training. In counseling
the AIDS patient, the attitude of the
AIDS counselor can make a significant
difference. If counselors have to give
real help to AIDS sufferers, they must
have a disposition to love, heal, and
save. They cannot afford a judgmental
attitude.
Counselors are called to listen as
patients share what is in their hearts
their fear, agony, anger, anxiety, and
remorse. More than anything else,
the AIDS patient needs compassion
along with spiritual and emotional
reassurance. If counselors are open,
patients will be able to unburden their
guilt and pain and find peace. HIV/
AIDS sufferers experience a huge flood
of fears when they hear for the first time
that they are the victims of the disease.
Only the Saviour can calm the raging
storm that comes up when such a
diagnosis is made.
Support services is the third area
in which the church can serve those
affected by HIV/AIDS. Because
hospital services worldwide are
costly, more and more patients are
cared for at home. In Africa, home-
based care is quite common. It allows
for family involvement and provides
opportunity to educate the extended
family and the immediate neigh
borhood on the destructiveness of
the disease, and what can be done
about it.
Zimbabwe has formed an interde
nominational AIDS network to enable
churches to identify areas of need and
mobilize community resources in
order to provide HIV/AIDS patients today through His church. This kind
with necessary support and care in of work is the highest work of the
their homes. This network gives church.
home-based caregivers training in
prevention and counseling.
1 World Health Organization Global Program
Such teams are usually composed on AIDS, December 1995.
of a church worker, a nurse's aide, and 2 A. P. Waterson, in British Medical Journal,
a driver, all under the supervision of March 5, 1983.
3 Ibid.
qualified medical personnel. This team 4 S. A. Farag, "Report on the United National
along with a pastor is responsible for Conference on Population and Development"
services such as: (Cairo: September 1994).
Emotional and spiritual support
to the patient and the family
Nursing services in the home
Financial support when possible CHURCH TiAKKER
Health education for family The latest software technology to assist religious
members, schools, parent-teacher organizations in maintainingquality member care
and interest tracking,
associations, and the community
TR AKKER offers the following functionality:
Training of care counselors - monitor member & visitor attendance
- track and store visitor and congregation
Orphan care demographies
As an extension of the home-based - generate reports based on attendance,
membership and demographics
care services, churches in Zimbabwe
have adopted a program to identify and
care for orphans left destitute by parents
who have died of AIDS-related causes.
Such children are placed in Christian
homes rather than being left on the
street or being placed in an institution.
The program is a formidable challenge
to the church as the number of orphans
mushrooms each year and the resources
of the church do not. Yet these initiatives
cost little and are culturally appropriate
IBM Compat. PC, 386 or Higher, Windows 3.X
in Zimbabwe. The churches have the
added responsibility of educating the Discounted price of $179,00
orphaned children and training them in with FREE SHIPPING & HANDLING
Includes software and training manual.
occupations that can give them a sense CA residents add 1.25% sales tax.
of dignity and personal fulfillment. This Send check or money order to:
outreach of the church is worthy of Custom Solutions
support from people everywhere. PO Box 34, Rodklin, CA 95677
AIDS is heinous and tragic. It kills (916) 645-0555
the patient and leaves the family in
bewildering tragedy. Motivated by love
the church must seek to minister and
bring the power of Christ to the
sufferers and their survivors. The
responsibility of the church does not
end in proclaiming moral standards
alone, but in a caring ministry. If Christ
were to walk the streets of our cities
today, He would be deeply involved in
ministry to those who have AIDS,
providing physical, emotional, and
spiritual support and care. He is present
MINISTRY/JULY 1996 13
AIDS: wrestling with fear and grief
Millie White I thought it'd never happen to me.
I was safe, that's what mattered.
Then they told me I was "HIV,"
And my whole world was shattered.
I hovered, crying there for hours.
My heart was torn and tattered.
The personal, I questioned why from higher powers,
emotional, and And yet my life was shattered.
familial trauma I cried, I wept, I begged, and screamed
of AIDS Emotions wild and scattered.
The worst news I had ever dreamed
Was the pain that left me shattered.
I know the facts, I know the deal,
And my soul lies bruised and battered.
Yet few could know just how I feel,
Afraid. . . alone . . . and shattered.
—MWE, 1995
T
ornadoes, floods, blizzards,
earthquakes, bombings, fires
cataclysmic disasters alter
people's lives swiftly and permanently.
But what about the events that attack
the body and sear the soul? The disaster
that shatters an increasing number of
lives is HIV (human immunodeficiency
virus) and AIDS (acquired immune
deficiency syndrome). In the mid-1990s
AIDS became the leading killer of all
Millie White is a
case manager at Americans aged 25-44. Among those
Chattanooga Cares aged 15-24, AIDS is the seventh-leading
p in Chattanooga, cause of death in the United States. In
Tennessee. the same nation, every 30 seconds, a
woman is infected with HIV; every two
minutes, a woman dies of AIDS.
According to the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention in Atlanta, one
in every 250 Americans is infected with
14 MINISTRY/JULY 1996
HIV. Behind the alarming statistics
and dismal headlines are real human
beings fighting against seemingly
insurmountable challenges as they
live and thrive with HIV/AIDS. It is a
disease that knows no bounds.
The basics of life
A person's life is irrevocably altered
once he or she has become infected with
HIV. Of course, many people do not
even know that they are infected,
because they feel perfectly healthy. In
fact, it takes an average of 8 to 11 years
for a person to progress from being HIV
positive to having AIDS. As the body
begins to weaken from the onslaught of
HIV, individuals must face changes that
will alter their lifestyle in simple and
radical ways. Many PWAs (persons
with AIDS) have to reduce their
working hours and eventually quit
altogether. Intermittent illness and
doctor's appointments can make it
difficult to maintain a rigorous work
schedule. It is especially difficult to
work around one's illness if one does
not feel comfortable revealing it to an
employer. Eventually most victims in
the United States apply for Supple
mental Security Income/Social Security
Disability. The process is complicated
and delivers barely enough for a person
to survive. It can be both humbling and
humiliating for hardworking people in
their prime to obtain federal assistance.
The loss of employment brings other
changes. People may have to find
cheaper housing. That may mean
applying for government housing or
moving in with aging parents or other
relatives. Others may have no place to
go and end up living on the street. Sadly,
some may not even be able to get into
a nursing home when they become too
ill to care for themselves. Decisions
also have to be made regarding health
insurance and medical treatment. If a
person was receiving health benefits
through work, they may have to apply
forMedicaid (U.S. government
assistance program) once they ^~
leave work. Most private
insurance companies will not It takes great courage to
cover people with HIV/AIDS.
This makes it more difficult to face one's situation
get good medical care. Many
doctors do not want to deal
honestly and to move
with Medicaid red tape or with beyond denial to coping
the complexities of the HIV
disease. Doctors who are with the crisis.
uncomfortable dealing with the __
disease do not aggressively
help AIDS patients fight the disease and
cope with the ravages of its fallout. By
the time a person develops full-blown
AIDS, they are on a treatment regimen
consisting of a massive number of pills.
They are forced to cope with drug
interactions and side effects that can
affect their moods, appetite, and
freedom to perform daily activities.
Finally, many people have to learn to
live on limited budgets that barely
allow for the essentials such as food
and clothing. Food stamps and
assistance from local food banks can
be very helpful. Unfortunately, PWAs
are often unable to eat nutritionally,
which is very important for people
with compromised immune systems.
People in the United States and many
other countries can obtain clothing
from local service agencies. Any
unexpected expenses can put PWAs
in a crisis situation with few options.
It's all in your head
Many of the changes in a PWA's life
are psychological in nature. Perhaps one
of the biggest heartaches brought on by
HIV is whether or not to reveal one's
illness. A person must decide to whom
they are going to tell and how they are
going to tell them. They also have to be
willing to risk rejection, fear, and
disapproval. People often blame
themselves for becoming infected, and
feel a desire to hide the behavior that
was associated with the infection, such
as drug use or sexual activity. It takes
great courage to face one's situation
honestly and to move beyond denial to
coping with the crisis. They also have
to know enough about HIV/AIDS and
"""""
____
its effects before informing others who
may well have all sorts of questions
and reactions to their announcement.
They must also be ready to accept the
fact that some loved ones will rally
behind them while others will walk
away and never look back.
PWAs also face the task of rein
forcing current relationships as well as
building new ones. Relationships are
typically complicated and fragile;
dealing with a catastrophic illness
stretches relational bonds to the limit.
It takes honesty to overcome the fear
and stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS.
Familial problems that existed before
the person became infected with HIV
tend to become magnified. Loved ones
have to go through their own process
of accepting and coping with the
disease. They have to figure out how
they will relate to the family member
with HIV/AIDS. It can be hard to
accept the person's lifestyle (for
example, their drug use and/or gay
friends). Family members also must
face decisions on how they can best
support the PWA while maintaining
their own lives. Is the PWA going to
move in with them? Are they going to
help out financially? Who will care for
the PWA if they become ill? If the
family is going to survive intact,
members must also deal healthfully
with the stresses of being caregivers as
the person becomes ill. Unlike other
terminal diseases that cause a steady
decline in one's health, HIV/AIDS is
unpredictable. PWAs often ride a roller
coaster of good health mixed with bouts
of life-threatening illness. Caregivers
must tread a fine line between treating
the person with HIV/AIDS as
being alive and active, and
coping with chronic illness.
Once a person knows their
HIV status, it can be very
difficult to initiate new friend
ships. They tend to feel like
social outcasts. They may also
hesitate to trust others if they
feel nobody wants them any
more. Many are afraid to
reveal their status and are
afraid that they might expose
others to HIV. But having HIV does
not take away a person's need for
human relationships or their ability
to change, grow, express emotion,
and make commitments. Outlets for
socialization tend to shrink when a
person becomes HIV positive. Work
opportunities may be eliminated.
Churches can become unfriendly.
Accessibility to restaurants, theaters,
and other places of social gathering
can become difficult as one's health
falters.
Some have found comfort and
friendship with local AIDS service
organizations that provide support
groups and activities. Others have
chosen to let people know up front that
they have HIV/AIDS. If after such a
disclosure the friendship continues to
grow, it is probably genuine.
Since the majority of people with
HIV/AIDS are young, they must face
the difficult task of continuing to care
for their children in the face of a
sometimes debilitating illness. This
can be especially difficult for single
mothers. Putting the needs of their
children before their own becomes
increasingly difficult.
Many have to decide whether or not
to have children. This is a hotly debated
issue, and there are no easy answers.
While some PWAs do not want to risk
dying before their children or passing
MINISTRY/JULY 1996 15
on the virus to a baby, others feel that
the risk is minimal (about 8 percent
transmission of HIV from mother to
baby if the mother is on AZT during
pregnancy). Some would like to enjoy
the pleasures of having a family as
well as leaving a part of themselves
behind. The number of children
orphaned by AIDS grows every day,
so it is crucial that everything possible
is done to make the best arrangements
for them.
Facing the attitudes of people
People with HTV/AIDS must face a
daily barrage of attitudes born of igno
rance, fear, and judgment. It often
becomes their task to educate those
around them. This can be grueling at
best, especially when everyone seems to
want to know the most intimate details
about their lives (i.e., how they got in
fected, how they cope with it, how people
treat them, etc.). Yet many PWAs have
embraced the challenge and have be
come outspoken advocates in their
communities for those with the disease.
Many people infected and affected
with HIV have also fought political
battles in the war against the disease.
In a climate of apathy toward anyone
using the American "system," many
social programs are being cut. Even
major legislative measures are in
jeopardy, such as the Ryan White Care
Act and the Housing Opportunities for
People With AIDS Act, which fund
support services for thousands. Although
much headway has been made in the
medical treatment of HIV/AIDS,
funding for additional research may be
eliminated. Politicians tend to blame
people for the circumstances in which
they find themselves. Concerned indi
viduals must continue to fight to ensure
that all people have access to the
assistance that they need.
Believing in somedays
Living with HIV/AIDS is a
harrowing experience, but there are
gifts amid the suffering. People faced
with their impending demise often
learn to enjoy the "precious present."
So often, young people are constantly
16 MINISTRY/JULY 1996
looking toward the future without
savoring the here and now. Many
PWAs have reevaluated their priorities
and have made lifestyle changes to
accommodate what is really important
to them. In fact, some see their HIV
positive state as a second chance to
make things right and to live truly.
Being chronically ill removes the
illusions that one has control over one's
life and that options are unlimited.
Individuals often seek to repair
damaged relationships and to reinforce
healthy ones.
Wrestling with grief
People living with HIV/AIDS must
wrestle with seemingly endless grief.
There is personal grief over the many
losses they have experienced, such as
lost employment, lost time and oppor
tunities, and severed relationships. It
is also common to grieve their own
impending death. Some who have lived
with the virus for several years tend to
experience "survivor guilt" because so
many others with the disease have
succumbed to it. Along with their own
fears and struggles with HIV/AIDS,
many PWAs face the loss of friends
and/or relatives to AIDS. It can be very
isolating emotionally to grapple with
such major, ongoing losses. Others find
it a real struggle to live with the disease
and yet to be referred to as "the one
dying of AIDS."
Laughter plays a crucial role in
facing HIV/AIDS. It takes great
strength and creativity to find something
funny in the midst of night sweats,
chronic diarrhea, and an often imper
sonal health-care system. Humor also
leads the way toward healing. When
fear is confronted and dealt with, it is
easier to take on the problem. PWAs
typically develop a zest for life that
ordinary people do not share. Life is
too short for them they plan to enjoy
it to the fullest despite their limitations.
In the United States and some other
countries there is a dizzying array of
treatment combinations and preven-
tative therapy options for HIV/AIDS
patients. There is research being done
every day that may lead to improved
medicines and possibly even a cure. A
lot of PWAs cope with an uncertain
future by educating themselves on the
newest procedures and treatments.
Many have taken to heart a slogan that
was coined at the beginning of the
epidemic: "Be here for the cure." Some
are participants in clinical trials and are
willing to try anything that may boost
their health and prolong their lives.
Living with HIV/AIDS demands
great courage and patience. Living in a
"crisis mode" helps to develop these
traits. The disease shatters thousands of
lives each year, but many put the pieces
back together again with the help of
those who love them. Even though HIV
may not be what they bargained for, it
has not robbed them of their ability to
share and to love.
AIDS is robbing our society of the
amazing potential of so many and we
are all poorer without them. We must
unite as men and women from ordinary,
healthy family situations to fight the
epidemic with courage, common sense,
and love.
In general the church community
has failed people infected and affected
with HIV/AIDS. It is time for the
church to take responsiblity for the
compassionate care of those who have
been neglected and ostracized by
society. As Christ did, Christians must
accept people right where they are
without demanding that they change
before assistance is given. In an era
when social services may not or may
no longer exist, the church has a
precious opportunity to redeem itself
and to make a great, positive impact
on others.
Growing Up in Christ
(Christ's Object Lessons) '
First in a series 01 seven study guides to E. G. White LOOKS.
, 13 easy-to-jollow lessons. Excellent for use in: '
" & prayer meetings & alternative Saritatk ScKoo] classes
g & independent study & Small group neigkbornoocl meetings ">
I-10 sets —S4.95ea.
II-50 sets —$4.75 ea. MAIL ORDERS TO:
51-100 sets —$4.00 ea. 4314Buckeystown Pike
101 or more —$3.50 ea. Frederick, MD 21704
ADDITIONAL COST FOR SHIPPING (301)666-0387
 JOURNEY
INTO DARKNESS

INCREDIBLE ANSWERS TO PRAYER MAJESTIC CREATION and

Roger Morneau shares God's thrilling
responses to people's requests for intercessory
prayer. Total time: 135 minutes. US$34.95,
Cdn$50.45, two-video set.
A TRIP INTO THE SUPERNATURAL JOURNEY INTO
Roger Morneau's fascinating story of divine DARKNESS
rescue from the terrifying world of satanism. Steve Arrington fall
Total time: 3 hours 20 minutes. US$39.95, guy in the world-famous
Cdn$57.95, two-volume set. DeLorean drug trial
tells his extraordinary
story in his own words.
This video is a powerful
portrayal of God's grace
and a strong deterrent for
involvement with drugs.
30 minutes. US$16.95,
Cdn$24.45.
CREATION'S MASTERPIECE
Hymns by Larry Dalton and the National
Philharmonic Orchestra of London are
enhanced by inspiring nature scenery from
the western United States and inspiration
from Scripture. 35 minutes each.
US$14.95, Cdn$21.45 each.
THE ISRAEL
OF THE ALPS
This documentary
about the Waldenses
highlights the Reform
ation era and the
religious awakening of
the nineteenth century
and includes beautiful
photography from
northern Italy.
Approximately
85 minutes.
US$29.95,
Cdn$43.45.

OUT OF THE NIGHT

TREASURES IN NATURE
and WILDERNESS ADVENTURE
Scenes of animals, birds, and insects in their
natural habitat are combined with musical
favorites of Janice Smith's Morning Time
devotions series and Scripture verses.
Especially selected for children. 30 minutes.
US$14.95, Cdn$21.45 each.
Behind the locked doors of a federal prison Steve
Arrington discovered the forgiveness that helped him
recover his self-esteem and led him to the fulfillment
of his dreams. 43 minutes. US$19.95, Cdn$28.95.
These videos are distributed by
Review and Herald Publishing
and are available at your Adventist Book Center.
Call 1-800-765-6955.
Canadian prices do not include GST, and may change according to currency fluctuation.
 The crisis of
Counseling
people in
crisis suicide
Vern R. Antes he phone call interrupted my dinner. The voice on the other end was
desperate. "I'm at my wit's end, and you are the only one I can turn to.
If you can't give me one good reason to live, I've made up my mind to
end it all."
The words were slow, deliberate, and almost imperceptible; the voice
unforgettable and bone-chilling. Such calls come hundreds of times
each year. A minister's chance of getting such a call is greater than
that of almost any other professional, including physicians and psychologists. Each
That cry for help year between 25,000 and 30,000 people kill themselves. It is estimated that 10
times that many attempt suicide.
Suicide is a major problem today. Pastors need to have a proper understanding
may come anytime. of the issues involved. They need a clear insight into the mind of the suicidal
individual in order to be better prepared to face that desperate cry for help.

The mind of the suicidal person

The pastor needs In the late 1950s psychologists Edwin Shneidman and Norman Farberow coined
the phrase "the cry for help" to describe the generally ambivalent feelings of the
suicidal person. The suicide threatener is not simply a manipulative person
to he ready. capriciously trying to get attention, but rather is someone who is in so much pain
that they have concluded there is no other solution to their problem except a
permanent end to pain death. 1 The interesting point is this: Such persons are
ambivalent about life and are looking for a reason to live. In their desperation they
are willing to gamble with life. If they find some hope that the future will be better,
they will opt for life. If they sense no future hope, they will opt for death.

The suicidal person: a profile

Shneidman and Farberow suggested that suicidal people generally fall into one of
three categories: the threatener, the attempter, and the committer.
The threateners tend to be young women between the ages of 15 and 25. They
make their threats known to parents, teachers, pastors, and significant others either
vocally or by leaving notes where they can be found. Their level of ambivalence is
the greatest, leaning in the direction of wanting to live rather than wanting to die.
They want to get the attention of significant others and the concomitant commitment
to help them end their painful existence in a life-supporting way.
The suicide attempter is often a single woman, who is usually somewhere between

Vern R. Andress, Ph.D., is professor of psychology at La Sierra University, Riverside, California.

18 MINISTRY/JULY 1996
 Part7ofal2-partseries

19 and 30. Three out of four people who attempt suicide are question directly. The answers are often vague and
female. Again, the level of ambivalence is high, leaning in the inconclusive. In the case of committers, we can only speculate.
direction of wanting to live. This is shown by the fact that the Suicide notes are rarely a good source of information. First
suicidal gestures of attempters usually involve a method with a of all, only about one third of suicide committers leave a note.2
relatively safe margin that allows for rescue before death Most of the note writers are female,3 and the notes rarely give
actually takes place. Taking medication (sometimes prescribed, any indication as to motive. Such notes often contain directions
but often over-the-counter) is the preferred method. The slow as to how to close out a person's estate or how to dispose of
action of medication helps to reveal the attitude "If I am rescued, their body. Frequently they are requests for forgiveness either
it was meant to be; if I'm not rescued, then my time has come." from significant others or from God. When they do give an
Attempters frequently commit their act in the presence of others, indication about motive, they reveal unbearable and unending
or in locations where they expect others to be so they can be mental or physical anguish and pain. The major themes of
rescued. It is not unusual for them to take the medication and these notes are hopelessness, helplessness, and loneliness.
then telephone a friend, a pastor, or a suicide hot line, explaining Researchers usually turn to those closest to the deceased
what they have done and asking for help. Their notes are often to find out why the person may have resorted to the extreme
left in conspicuous places and frequently explain the reason step. Unfortunately, the inner thoughts and feelings of
behind their attempt and the seriousness of people are highly guarded secrets of life,
their intent. It is not uncommon for a person I and more often than not, the survivor-
to make several attempts, leading significant Suicidologists believe that I victims of suicide are caught off guard
others to feel that they are being manipulated 1 and left perplexed as to motive. In
and therefore to become calloused and indif the leading motives for I looking back over the life of their loved
ferent. Unfortunately, their attempts can | one or friend, especially the last few
become unintentionally fatal. suicide are a sense of I days, they suddenly become aware of
Three out of four suicide committers I "clues" that the deceased dropped here
are male. Typically, the male is older and 1 and there encoding their hopelessness and
shows his lethality by selecting a method I their tendency toward self-destruction. But
with little room for rescue or change of hopelessness over some § these indicators were either missed, or they
heart. Guns, especially handguns, are the 1 were taken to be less than serious.
most common means of suicidal death, event in the person's life | Suicidologists believe that the leading
with hanging and jumping close seconds. I motives for suicide are a sense of help-
Unlike the act of taking a medication, over which they feel thej I lessness and hopelessness over some event
with its fairly long margin of safety, the I in the person's life over which they feel
methods typically chosen by the suicide have no control. I they have no control, such as irreversible
committer are precipitously fast-acting. j physical illness and pain, or an anguishing
Once the trigger is pulled, there is no disruption in personal relationships with
opportunity to reverse the action. no perceivable positive outcome.
Typically, suicide committers may be single, separated, Suicide is not an impulsive act with little forethought or
divorced, or widowed. Marriage seems to act as a buffer planning. In fact, it is well designed and thought out.
against suicidal death, perhaps because it represents a Research suggests that most suicides evolve over at least a
readily available support system. Separated or widowed 90-day period preceding the attempt, the planning process
males are considered to be highly lethal to themselves, being quite orderly and methodical, with three distinct stages.
while single or divorced females pose a similar high risk.
Alcohol also plays an important, if somewhat vague, Stages in suicide planning
role in the lethality of the committer. About one third of The first stage is called the resolution phase. This is
those who commit suicide have a detectable amount of usually the longest phase and is accompanied by a great
alcohol in their blood at the time of their autopsy. Alcohol's deal of agitation and restlessness. During this time the
exact role in suicidal behavior is not clear. Does it reduce individual is struggling with the moral and ethical issues
the person's inhibitions toward self-destruction, does it of suicide. They are asking themselves whether or not
enhance their hopeless feelings, or does it merely cloud suicide is a sin or what effect it will have on loved ones
their mind and make it hard for them to perceive any other and friends. The deep significance of these questions
alternatives that may be available to them? accounts for the high degree of edginess and agitation felt
by the individual. Their significant others experience this
as a time of extreme moodiness and impatience.
The most common question asked following a suicide The second stage, the initiation phase, involves less time
threat, attempt, or an actual death is "why?" In the case of than the first and produces a milder form of agitation. In
threateners and attempters, the individual can be asked that this phase the individual formulates actual plans for the
MINISTRY/JULY 1996 19
Parl 7 of a 12-part series
act. The person wrestles with what means should be used:
shooting, hanging, jumping, drug overdose, etc. The person
also plans on where to do it: at home or off in some remote
region. If at home, which place: the garage, the living room,
a bedroom? The person also thinks about who might find
their body: family members, friends, police, or a maid in a
motel. Once they have resolved these issues, they begin to
gather the means for carrying out their suicidal act, usually
collecting an overabundance of the items they plan to use.
When the first two phases of the plan are in place, the
individual often becomes very calm as he or she enters the
third stage or postponement. Knowing that they are capable
of solving their problem, they relax and bide their time
until they fulfill their plan. This serenity often catches the
family and friends off guard, so that when their loved one
finally commits the suicidal act, they are surprised. People
close to the victim often say such things as "I can't believe
he actually killed himself. If he had done it a few months
ago I would not have been shocked ... he was so anxious
and agitated back then. But recently it seemed as if things
were going so much better. He seemed so relaxed."
Clues to suicide
Identifying clues to suicidal tendencies is important,
particularly for family members and significant others so
that they can be of help to the person concerned. Such clues
include the following:
1. Unusual periods of sleeplessness. Because
individuals are so burdened in the first stage of the suicide
plan, they find it difficult to sleep. They wrestle with
thoughts that may affect them for eternity, and these
thoughts aren't easily turned on and off. Such insomnia is
frequently accompanied by periods of general sadness.
2. Sudden changes in appetite, weight, or sexual
drive. These could include either an increase or a loss in
appetite, an intensification or loss of interest in sex, or an
unusual preoccupation with and consumption of drugs and
alcohol.
3. Loss of interest in family, friends, and familiar
pursuits. Suicidal individuals often become so preoccupied
with their own thoughts that they begin to neglect their
friends and family. They do not participate in family
functions or discussions. To a noticeable extent they lose
interest in such things as sports, hobbies, and work.
4. Frequent discussions of death, the wish to die, or
feelings of worthlessness. Such comments as "You'd be
better off without rne," or "I can't take much more of this,"
or "I wonder where people go when they die, and if they
feel any pain after they are dead" should be taken as
possible indicators of a contemplated suicide. This is
especially true if these comments are made along with other
types of clue behavior.
5. Sudden, unusual interest in death and death
rituals. When individuals uncharacteristically begin to
discuss making or changing a will or insurance policy, or
20 MINISTRY/JULY 1996
when they show excessive concern about making funeral
arrangements, it may indicate some suicidal intention.
6. Unexplainable or illogical giving away of prized
possessions. When an individual begins to give away things
they have spent a lifetime accumulating, especially to
casual acquaintances, such behavior should alert family
members to the possibility of suicide.
7. Collecting information and means for suicide. This
could include a sudden interest in guns, the collecting and
hoarding of medications, or a surprising interest in news
accounts of other people's suicidal deaths.
When that call comes
When you get that urgent call in the middle of your
dinner or in the middle of the night, what should you as
a pastor do? Here are a few basic points.
1. Remain calm and don't act surprised,
frightened, or overwhelmed by what the person is
telling you.
2. Take seriously anyone's talk of suicide. Don't get
caught in the "boy who cried wolf" syndrome.
Remember, everyone who talks about suicide is a
potential danger to themselves.
3. Be genuine and honest in expressing your interest,
concern, and support for the person with whom you are
talking. Often they will say something like "Why should
you care about me? You hardly know me; even the people
who are closest to me don't care." Give an honest answer,
something like "It's true, I don't know you very well, but
I want to hear about your pain; I care about your well-
being, and how you deal with that pain."
4. Don't be judgmental or moralistic. Telling them
that they are committing a horrible sin or reminding them
of how selfish suicide is will only add to the guilt that
has led them to contemplate suicide.
5. Don't argue. Don't tell them they can't commit
suicide. They really can, and nobody can stop them if
they are intent on such an act. They may go ahead just
to prove they are in control.
6. Listen carefully, especially to the hidden meanings
behind the words. Often the one thing the person most
lacks in life is another person who is genuinely willing
to listen. Never rush in with platitudes or suggestions.
Let them have their say. Many times they won't come
right out and say they are going to kill themselves.
Instead they will make such statements as "I'm thinking
about checking out. . ." or "My time has come . . ." Get
them to clarify these vague statements by asking a direct

question, such as "Are you telling me that you are
thinking about killing yourself?" Such a question tells
them that you are listening and that you are actually
hearing their message. By listening carefully, you may
hear something that will significantly help you in giving
them aid.
7. Get them to seek professional help from someone
trained in dealing with suicidal behavior. To do this, you
should maintain a current list of professional counselors
in the area. A good source of information is the local
suicide-prevention hot line, if there is one in your area.
8. Act quickly. After you have established a strong
rapport with them by your genuine concern, gently insist
that they immediately see someone for counseling. If
necessary, encourage them to get into a hospital setting.
9. Don't assume guilt for things over which you have
no control. If you deal with suicidal people long enough,
the chances are high that you will eventually be involved
with one who refuses your intervention and commits
suicide. At times like this it is easy to torture oneself
with feelings of guilt. Remember that no one is ever
responsible for someone else's actions. If you feel
burdened by your feelings, don't be too proud to seek
professional help yourself.
Be ready for that cry for help
Suicide is a unique kind of death. Almost without
exception it leaves people behind who will have a
complicated process of grieving because of the
unanswered questions surrounding the death and the
assumption of guilt for the person's actions. As a pastor-
counselor, it is important to understand these burdens
felt by the survivor-victims of suicide. Pastors should
know the process of referral and the process of grief
recovery. They should also be alert to minister to the
bereaved ones, especially at times such as the loved one's
birthdays, special holidays, wedding anniversaries, and
the bereavement anniversary when memory has a way
of bringing back the tortured past. As a pastor-friend
you may want to send survivor-victims a little note of
concern and encouragement at these special times to let
them know you care. Survivors generally receive a great
deal of concern and caring right after the death of their
loved one, but soon after, their special needs and pains
are forgotten as people rush on with their busy lives.
As a minister, you should always be ready for the cry
for help and for the cry of the grieving.
1 Edwin S. Shneidman and Norman L. Farberow, eds., The Cry for Help
(New York: McGraw-Hill, 1958).
2 Vern R. Andress and David M. Corey, The Demographic Distribution
of Suicide in Riverside Country Between 1965 and 1969 (Loma Linda, Calif.:
Loma Linda University, 1976).
3 L. B. Borque, B. Cosand, and J. Kraus, "Comparison of Male and
Female Suicide in a Defined Community," Journal of Community Health
9 (1983): 7-17.
Part7ol'al2-partserics
CONTINUING EDUCATION EXERCISE
The crisis of suicide
1. You receive a phone call from one of your parishioners
who is intending to commit suicide. The caller says, "I'm thinking
about cashing in my chips." List the steps you would take in
dealing with this situation.
2. Write down some of the clues that a suicide intender
leaves. How would you alert the family and loved ones to watch
for these clues?
3. Suicidal people fall into three categories. Can you
identify them? Think back in your ministry and see if there were
parishioners who might have fallen into these categories. How
could you help anyone you may detect in the future as being in
one of these categories?
4. Make a list of professional counseling and referral
personnel specializing in suicide in your community, and place
the list in a specific, easily accessible location.
Suggested reading
Farberow, NbrmanL., ed. The Many Faces ofSuicide. New York:
McGraw-Hill Book Company^ 1980. Discusses the
characteristics of suicidal behavior.
Lester, David. Why People Kill Themselves. 3rd ed. Springfield,
111.: Charles C. Thomas, 1992. A leading suicide researcher
provides an encyclopedic review of current literature on suicide.
Mclntosh, John L., Dunce, Edward J., Dunce-Maxim, Karen. Suicide
and Its Aftermath. New York: W. W. Norton, 1987. Discusses
the effect of suicide on the significant others who are left behind.
Gives suggestions on how to care for survivor-victims.
Shneidman, Edwin S. and Norman L. Farberow. Clues to Suicide.
New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1957. The seminal
work on suicide demographics and the characteristics of
suicidal behavior.
The Phone Call You Don't Want
SUICIDE
A 60-minute video (VHS or PAL) to help you discover:
• why people commit suicide
• the common myths about suicide
• who are the high risks
• the role of the church in prevention, intervention, and postvention
• how to care for the victim's family
Includes the text The Forever Decision and study guide. US$39.95
Ministerial Supply/Seminars Unlimited
P.O. Box 66, Keene, TX 76059
Orders: (800) 982-3344
Information: (817) 641-3643
MINISTRY/JULY 1996 21
AIDS and Adventist youth

Gary L. Hopkins,
Joyce W. Hopp,
Helen P. Hopp,
Christine Neish, and
Gayle Rhoads
An AIDS risk
appraisal of
students attending
SDA high schools in
the United States
and Canada
Gary L. Hopkins, M.D., Dr.P.H., is coordinator
of the evaluation research unit, School of Public
Health, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda,
California; Joyce W. Hopp, Ph.D., M.P.H., R.N.,
is the dean of the School ofAllied Health, Loma
Linda University; Helen P. Hopp, Ph.D., is
associate professor in the School of Public
Health, Loma Linda University; Christine Neish,
Ph.D., M.P.H., R.N., is chair of the Department
of Health Promotion and Education, School of
Public Health, Loma Linda University; Gayle
Rhoads, Ed.D., is the principal of Loma Linda
Academy, Loma Linda, California.
22 MINISTRY/JULY 1996
T
he acquired immunodeficiency
syndrome (AIDS) has become a
major global threat. Worldwide,
millions of persons have been diagnosed
with and died of this dreaded disease. In
the United States as of October 1995, a
little over one half million persons with
AIDS were reported to the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Clinically, overt AIDS represents only
the end-stage manifestation of a prolonged
infection with the human immuno
deficiency virus (HIV). The CDC 1
reported that 20 percent of the diagnosed
cases of AIDS were in the age group of
20-29 years. Since the period from the
time of HIV infection to the development
of AIDS is generally between eight and
10 years,2 there is a high likelihood that
adolescents are becoming infected with
the HIV and are diagnosed with AIDS
when they are no longer adolescents.3
Currently there is no known cure for
AIDS, nor is there a vaccination to prevent
HIV infection,4 although considerable
research money has been directed toward
this effort. Methods of preventing HIV
transmission include abstinence from
HIV risk behaviors such as IV drug use
and avoidance of HIV-infected body
fluids (semen, breast milk, blood, and
vaginal fluid).
Seventh-day Adventist leaders
recommend the maintenance of a
monogamous sexual relationship
between non-HIV-infected individuals
in a marriage relationship as the most
effective method for preventing HIV
transmission. Until a cure is available,
health education targeted at reducing
AIDS risk behaviors will be a main
method of preventing HIV trans
mission.
Christian schools typically advocate
health standards that include (1)
abstinence from dangerous substances,
including tobacco, alcohol, and drugs,
and (2) abstinence from sexual inter
course until marriage, along with other
biblically based principles.
The Seventh-day Adventist Church
sponsors 93 four-year high schools
(academies) in North America. Four
surveys of students in these high schools
revealed that some adolescents practice
sexual and drug behaviors that place
them at risk for contracting or trans
mitting the HIV.5 Because of the practice
of such HIV risk behaviors, research is
needed in the SDA high school popu
lation in order to determine the possible
points of educational and behavioral
intervention to address the potential
problem of HIV/AIDS.
Current research
In 1995 the authors conducted
research to describe the HIV/AIDS risk
factors of a sample of students attending
SDA high schools throughout the U.S.
and Canada. This research was to assess
students' AIDS-related attitudes, norm
ative beliefs (perceptions of social
pressure), and their perceived control
regarding AIDS risk behaviors.
Questionnaire development
We constructed a questionnaire based
on an extensive review of the professional
health literature on AIDS and AIDS risk
behaviors specific to the adolescent
period of development. The purpose of
this questionnaire was to measure
accurately and identify determinants of
behaviors that could place adolescents at
risk for transmitting or contracting the
HIV. The questionnaire was divided into
four sections: (1) demographic charac
teristics of the respondents, (2) HIV/
AIDS-related knowledge, (3) HIV/AIDS-
related behaviors, and (4) intentions,
attitudes, social pressures, and per
ceptions of control related to the HIV/
AIDS risk behaviors of sexual intercourse
and substance use.
Sample selection
Permission for the research was
granted by Dr. Gil Plubell, director of the
North American Division, Office of
Education. The office of education also
provided partial funding.
Application was then made to the
Institutional Review Board (IRB) of
Loma Linda University (LLU), under
whose authority this research was
conducted, for a review and acceptance
of the research protocol. The functions
of the IRB, as required by federal law,
are to protect the subjects of research
from emotional and/or physical harm
and to assure that ethical research
guidelines are followed. The IRB
accepted the protocol proposal, but
required that before students could
answer the questionnaire it was necessary
to obtain written consent from their
parent(s).
Each of the 93 schools was mailed a
box containing parental consent letters
equal to its student enrollment. The
schools applied mailing labels with the
names and addresses of the parents of
their high school students. The schools
then mailed the letters, a total of 13,368.
Parents who chose to allow their
children to participate in this research
signed and mailed a consent postcard
to LLU. A total of 2,834 students were
thus enrolled in the study. The students
represented 85 of the 93 four-year high
schools in the NAD.
Questionnaires were mailed to each
of the participating schools with a list
of the names of the students whose
parents had granted consent. Each
questionnaire was placed in a manila
envelope with a letter to the student
advising them as to the sensitive content
of the questionnaire and guaranteeing
that there would be no attempt to identify
students by name.
Results
Response rate. A total of 1,765
completed questionnaires were returned,
yielding a response rate of 62.46 percent
of the 2,826 parental consents. Sixteen
of the 85 schools did not administer a total regarding modes of HIV transmission
of 1,061 questionnaires. was high. The average score was 90.92
Demographics. The majority of the percent.
respondents attended boarding schools Substance use. Regarding the use of
as compared to day schools (53.7 percent substances, Figure 1 demonstrates that
versus 46.3 percent). The median age of non-SDA students who attended SDA
the respondents was 17, with an age high schools were more experienced with
distribution of between 12 and 19; 56.4 the use of all substances. The differences
percent of the respondents were female; in the rates of use of all of the substances
and 93.3 percent were SDA. The distri were statistically significant.
bution of respondents by year in high Parents' use of substances. In order
school was fairly equal (24.1 percent to determine whether or not an asso
freshmen, 24.0 percent sophomores, ciation existed between the students'
27.9 percent juniors, and 24.0 percent reports of parental substance use and the
seniors) with the modal year of students' rates of substance use, three
enrollment reported as eleventh grade. questions were designed to measure this
A comparison of the ethnicity of the relationship. The students were asked if
respondents with the total student either of their parents or guardians
population attending four-year high smoked cigarettes, drank alcohol, or used
schools throughout the NAD revealed marijuana. Figure 2 shows that when at
that in the study sample White students least one of the parents used either
were overrepresented (79.3 percent tobacco, alcohol, or marijuana, the rates
versus 58.0 percent) and all minorities of the students' use of all of the substances
were underrepresented. increased.
Knowledge. Accurate knowledge Sexual intercourse. Of the total
Substance use by students attending SDA high schools
Alcohol Tobacco Marijuana Hard Drug Cocaine Injected Overall use
(noncocame) of at least
one substance
SDA students
Figure I Substance used by students Non-SDA students
Parental use of substances and
the influence on the students' use of substances
Alcohol Tobacco Marijuana Hard Drug Cocaine Injected Overall use
(noncocaine) ot at least
one substance
Students with parents who did not use tobacco, alcohol, and/or marijuana
Students with parents who used tobacco, alcohol, and/or marijuana
Figure 2 Substance used by students
MINISTRY/JULY 1996 23
 ,:^-, Jhe delicate detail of Darrel Tank's
( art reveals the beauty of the queen
Hof Sheba and the wisdom in
the eyes of Jethro, Moses' father-in-
law. Now, MESSAGE magazine brings
you the fascinating Africans whose sto
ries are part of the biblical record. fl collection of
portrait! and profile!
cflebntinf
This calendar will educate and inspire our spiritual rooti
inthtanuttrij
in your home, classroom, or office. Every of Africa

image is perfect for framing and serves

as a lasting reminder that our Christian
heritage has roots in Africa. H
Calendar runs from January 1997 through January 1998.

1997 MESSAGE magazine

nictcifT Review and Herald* Pub. Assn.

IDCfl!
num-
Calendars, P.dl Bb* 1119, Hagerstown, Maryland 21741.

Name

Shipping Address

City/State/Zip
sample, 16.3 percent reported having had
sexual intercourse. Female students
reported a lower rate of sexual intercourse
(14.6 percent, N=144) when compared
to males (16.2 percent, N-284). The
median age at first sexual intercourse
was 15 for both sexes. The mean age at
first intercourse was 14.5 for males and
15 for females.
Parental and students' substance use
behaviors and students' sexual expe
rience. Substance use by parents and by
students appeared to have a relationship
with the students' past sexual expe
rience. Students who used substances
were shown to be the most sexually
experienced (Table 1). When students
reported that they had a parent who also
used a substance, the rate of sexual
intercourse increased. The lowest rates
of sexual experience were among
students who had not previously used
substances and whose parents, as
reported by the students, also did not
use substances.
Homosexual experience. Seventy-
nine (4.6 percent, N=79) students
Citrus Fund Raising
The Healthy Alternative
Pastors! Equip your leaders with the ability to raise funds for
mission trips, youth activities, Pathfinder clubs, building
projects, choir/musical group supplies - what's on
your wish list? A six-month program offering different tastes from"
TOLL-FREE
reported sexual experience with some
one of the same sex. The proportion of
students with a history of a homosexual
experience was higher in males than in
females (5.0 percent, N-41 versus 4.2
percent, N-38).
Intentions to have sexual intercourse
before marriage. The respondents were
asked, "How likely is it that you will
have sexual intercourse before mar
riage?" This question was followed by a
seven-point unlikely/likely scale. The
students who demonstrated a greater
intention to have sexual intercourse
before marriage were those who (1) were
already sexually experienced, (2) were
experienced with substances (i.e.,
drugs), (3) had a parent who used either
tobacco, alcohol, or marijuana, and (4)
were non-SDA.
Attitudes, social pressure, and
perception of control toward sexual
intercourse before marriage. Three
separate questions were designed to
measure the students' attitudes, per
ceptions of social pressure, and control
regarding sexual intercourse before
__ month-to-month, generating repeat orders and steady
profits along with a unique way to open new doors
for community outreach by making friends
in the community! Hundreds
OLDEN HARVEST
[FRUIT CO.
marriage. Each question was followed
by a seven-point scale. The students who
(1) were already sexually experienced,
(2) were experienced with substances,
(3) had a parent who used either tobacco,
alcohol, or marijuana, or (4) were non-
SDA demonstrated attitudes and
perceptions of social pressure more
favorable toward engaging in sexual
intercourse before marriage. These same
four groups demonstrated a lower
perception of control over sex before
marriage.
Determinants of the behavior to have
sexual intercourse before marriage.
Using appropriate statistical tests,
measurements were made to determine
whether the students' attitudes,
perception of social pressures, or
perception of control best predicted their
intentions to have sex before marriage.
It was found that perceived control was
the strongest predictor. Students who (1)
were sexually experienced, (2) were
experienced with substances, (3) had a
parent who used either tobacco, alcohol,
or marijuana, or (4) were non-SDA
of churches are raising
thousands of dollars
each year!
For information about
how your church can join
our program call us for a
free sales kit today!
1-800-826-9099
MINISTRY/JULY 1996 25

Association of sexual intercourse in relation to
students' and parents' use of substances
Substance use
Parent Student
No No
Yes No
No Yes
Yes Yes
Table 1
demonstrated a lower perception of
control over sexual intercourse before
marriage than those were otherwise.
Determinants of perceived control.
The items that best predicted the
students' perception of control over
sexual intercourse before marriage were
encouragement from teachers and
spiritual strength.
Discussion
Substance use. Many students attend
ing SDA four-year high schools across
the North American Division practice
substance-use behaviors that place them
at risk for serious health problems, in
cluding transmitting or contracting the
HIV. Although rates of substance use in
SDA schools are typically lower than
those in public schools (Figure 3), stu
dents who do use substances (including
alcohol, tobacco, cocaine, and other
drugs) are more likely to practice AIDS
risk behaviors.6
Because of the association of sub
stance use with AIDS risk behaviors, it
is imperative that schools consider the
future role of substance abuse coun
seling for adolescents.7
Parents have the most important
role in influencing the lives of their
children, and hence there is a need to
counsel parents regarding their own use
of substances. The present research
demonstrated that parental use of
tobacco, alcohol, or marijuana was
significantly associated with their
children's (1) use of drugs and (2) rate
of sexual intercourse. This research
demonstrates that parental use of
substances may be a factor in the AIDS
risk behaviors of their children. When
students reported that their parents did
not use tobacco, alcohol, or marijuana,
and when the students themselves did
26 MINISTRY/JULY 1996
Sexually experienced students
Percentage* Number
3.5 25
5.9 7 to demonstrating Christian values not
26.3 135
30.3 117
'Percentage of total sample
not use any substances, the rate of sexual
intercourse was only 3.5 percent. One
must remember, however, that the
parental substance use was reported by
the students and not by the parents
themselves.
Sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse, the key AIDS risk
behavior, as reported in this research,
was found to be moderately prevalent.
The rate of intercourse for this sample
was 16.4 percent for all students. SDA
students were less likely to have been
sexually active than non-SDA students
(14.6 percent versus 37.1 percent).
Though the prevalence of sexual
intercourse in this sample of students
attending SDA schools is lower than the
rate of 53 percent in public schools,
the students who begin their sexual
experience as adolescents are more
likely to have multiple sexual contacts,
thereby increasing their likelihood of
eventual contact with an individual who
is HIV-infected.
SDA educational system
The SDA Church places a strong
emphasis on Christian education. The
North American Division has 1,050
schools, ranging from kindergarten
through high school. Enrollment in the
schools totaled 50,988 in the fall of the
1994-1995 school year. SDA schools are
typically staffed by teachers who are
members of the SDA Church.
The SDA Church holds a strong
belief in the value of abstinence from
premarital sex and from harmful
substances including tobacco, alcohol,
and addictive drugs. This research
demonstrates that the strongest
predictors of perceived control relating
to sexual intercourse before marriage for
those students who responded was
spiritual strength and encouragement
from teachers.
These findings reaffirm the belief
that those who are chosen to teach in
the SDA system should be committed
only in the classroom but also in all
interactions with students. Those who
work in the SDA school system need to
have a sense of accountability regarding
the seriousness of their roles in the
schools. Administrators and school
board members who are responsible
for selecting teachers should carefully
search for teachers who will make
themselves available both in the
classroom and outside the classroom
to students for encouragement and
counseling regarding issues such as
substance use and premarital sexual
intercourse.
Non-SDA students attending SDA
schools
Until the last few years, North
American Division policy has limited the
number of non-SDA students admitted
to the denomination's elementary and
secondary schools. Schools serving
grades K-6 were allowed 15 percent
non-SDA students. Grades 7-12 were
restricted to no more than 10 percent
non-SDA. Those schools that admitted
greater proportions of non-SDA students
were designated "mission schools." In
recent years local school boards have
become increasingly ready to accept
more non-SDA students. The driving
force behind this philosophical shift
seems to be that of financial necessity,
although some explain the practice as
part of the evangelical mission of the
church.
Teachers and administrators quite
universally report experiences with
outstanding non-SDA students who
contribute in a positive way to the
Christian environment on campuses.
There are undoubtedly outstanding non-
SDA Christian young people enrolled in
SDA schools. The current research,
however, suggests that the church might
be well served to review its policies
regarding this issue.
Limitations in external validity
It is important to keep in mind some

Substance use by SDA vs. public school students
Alcohol Tobacco Marijuana
(noncocaine)
Figure 3 Substance used by students
limitations of this data set. Although
serious attempts were made to secure a
representative sample of all students
attending four-year SDA high schools
throughout the U.S. and Canada, the
responses collected represent (1) an
overrepresentation of White students, (2)
only the responses of students whose
parents or guardians consented to their
students' participation, (3) a lack of
representation of high school-age
students who attended junior high
schools, and (4) an underrepresentation
of students attending inner-city schools.
The need for continued research
During the process of contacting the
93 four-year high schools in the NAD
and arranging the logistics of this
research, it was clear that many parents
and individuals in school administrative
positions were skeptical of how such
research could be of value to them.
Commonly expressed fears were that
reporting simple descriptive statistics
regarding rates of sexual intercourse and
substance use might place the SDA
educational system in a bad light and
serve as an embarrassment, while
yielding little benefit to the schools and
the students.
Useful conclusions drawn from this
research were not that a certain
proportion of SDA youth engaged in
sexual behaviors or substance use, but
were rather that SDA youth are not
immune or exempt from engaging in
behaviors that place them at risk for
unintended pregnancy, sexually trans
mitted diseases including AIDS, and the
legal and health consequences of
Students attending
SDA high schools
Students attending
public high school
Hard Drug Cocaine Injected
drug
substance use. Educators can now act by
creatively designing strategies that,
when implemented, may serve to reduce
the consequences of the behaviors
studied.
1 HIV/AIDS Surveillance Report, Part 7, No.
1 (Atlanta: Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, 1995).
2 V. L. Tucker and C. T. Cho, "AIDS and
Adolescents: How Can You Help Them Reduce
Their Risk?" Postgraduate Medicine 89, No. 3
(1991): 49-53.
3 G. C. Zimet, D. L. Bunch, T. M. Anglin, R.
Lazebnik, P. Williams, and D. P. Krowchuk,
"Relationship of AIDS-related Attitudes to
Sexual Behavior Changes in Adolescents,"
Journal of Adolescent Health 13, No. 6 (1992):
493-498.
* H. Palacio, "Safer Sex," in P. T. Cohen,
M. A. Sande, P. A. Volberding, eds., The AIDS
Knowledge Base (Boston: Little, Brown, and
Company, 1994).
5 See G. Ludescher, "AIDS-related Knowledge,
Attitudes, and Behaviors in Adolescents
Attending Seventh-day Adventist Schools in
California" (doctoral dissertation, Loma Linda
University, 1992); P. L. Benson and M. J.
Donahue, Valuegenesis: Report I: A Study of the
Influence of Family, Church, and School on the
Faith, Values, and Commitment ofAdventistYouth
(Minneapolis: Search Institute, 1990); G. L.
Hopkins, "AIDS-related Knowledge, Attitudes,
and Behaviors of Twelfth-Grade Students at
Loma Linda Academy" (unpublished manuscript,
1994); and D. Gray, "Human Immunodeficiency
Virus and Acquired Immune Deficiency: Beliefs,
Knowledge, and Behaviors of High School
Students Attending Seventh-day Adventist
Academies" (doctoral dissertation, Andrews
University, 1994).
6 K. R. Miner, "Educating About HIV/AIDS,"
in P. Cortese and K. Middleton, eds., The
Comprehensive School Health Challenge:
Promoting Health Through Education (Santa
Cruz, Calif.: ETR Associates, 1994), vol. 1, pp.
413-441.
7 M. Hochhauser, "AIDS and Chemical
Dependency: Prevention Needs of Adolescents,"
Journal ofPsychoactive Drugs 21, No. 4 (1989):
381-385.
A of
320 pages of tastes
from around the world
hundreds of vegetarian
recipes
great gift for birthdays,
weddings, and other
special occasions
To order call:
(800) 982-3344
plus $3.50 shipping
& handling
MINISTRY/JULY 1996 27
Ministry Reports

World Ministers Council-

Southern Asia Division

M
ore than 1,500 pastors and
spouses attended the Southern
Asia Division session of the
World Ministers' Council. They met at
three locations: Salisbury Park, Pune, for
the Central India Union; Lowry Memorial
Junior College, Bangalore, for the South
India Union; and at Roorkee high school
for the Northern and Northeastern India
unions. Pictured are the attendees at
Roorkee.
The Ministerial Association agreed to
three locations rather than one combined
venue in order to make it possible for
pastoral spouses to participate. Southern
Asia ministerial secretary John Willmott and
Shepherdess coordinator Frances Campbell
hosted each session.
General Conference Ministerial Asso
ciation staff members Jim and Sharon
Cress, Rex Edwards, and Rae Lee Cooper
were joined by several guest presenters,
including Gregory and Carol Alien (Ellen
G. White Estate), Adly Campos (Family
Life evangelist), Lowell Cooper (Secre
tariat), John M. Fowler (Education
Department), Tom Neslund (Health and
Temperance Department), Stanton Parker
(Adventist Risk Management), William
Shea (Biblical Research Institute), Ron
and Dorothy Watts (British Columbia
Conference), and Lloyd Wyman (Pacific
Union Conference).

Sermon
outlines
Sermon Outlines
Features outlines on:
Bible Prophecy
Bible Doctrines
Jesus Christ as Lord
The Holy Spirit
Witnessing
Decisions
Features:

Plus:
Sermon Outlines

• 223 outlines suitable for

Worship Services

• 86 outlines on Outstanding
Men & Women of the Bible
• 143 outlines on Prayer
on diskette Christian Living • 100 outlines for Funerals
• Prayer
Funerals
US$49.95 each
includes shipping Specify choice (500 or 550+) and choose word Send check/money order/credit card# to:
processorformat:
WordPerfect GC Ministerial Association
US$59.95 outside U.S. includes shipping Q WP5.1 (DOS) 3 WP6.0 (WIN) Q WP3.0 (MAC) 12501 Old Columbia Pike
Available in printed form in U.S. for US$69.95; Silver Spring, MD 20904
outside US $79.95 Microsoft Word
Q Windows Q MAC (301) 680-6508 FAX (301) 680-6502

28 MINISTRY/JULY 1996
Seminary News-
Seminary evangelism-
new directions
Benjamin Schoun
E
vangelism in the M.Div.
program is stronger than ever.
Since NADEI (North American
Division Evangelism Institute) has been
operating from the seminary campus,
we have seen greater integration of
evangelism with other seminary
studies. We have been able to offer
more variety to meet the needs of
various ethnic and cultural groups. And
most importantly, according to Russell
Burrill, NADEI's director, is the
creation of a mind-set that embraces
outreach. While some students would
prefer to do only academic studies or
only field work, this program provides
a balance between study and ministry
that will be needed in their work for
the rest of their lives.
Recently Russell Burrill conducted
a field school in the nearby towns of
St. Joseph and Stevensville. About 30
were baptized, boosting morale and
enthusiasm for soul-winning in the
church. Four groups of students are
conducting their own prophecy
seminars in towns around the area.
The Center for Youth Evangelism
conducted a contemporary outreach to
the local high school students in Berrien
Springs. It was called Cafe Vertigo.
Building on the image of the world of
the students spinning dizzily out of
control, Cafe Vertigo was a place to
stop, focus, and find clarity. The
music, drama, and speaker, Jose Rojas,
attracted 300 students, about half of
whom were from the public high school.
Follow-up continues through "The
Group," a voluntary Bible study group
made up of public high school students.
Plans are to develop a community youth
center that will permanently offer to the
Benjamin D. Schoun, D.Min., is the associate
dean of the Seventh-day Adventist Theological
Seminary, Berrien Springs, Michigan.
How does
your library
youth of Berrien Springs a variety of
service programs, mission trips, and
social activities.
The seminary faculty have been
regularly involved in evangelism. At
least eight teachers from a variety of
departments have held meetings
recently in Michigan, Belarus, Puerto
Rico, Poland, Bosnia, and other places.
Others conduct regular Bible studies.
Recently the Old Testament Depart Learn practical
ment created a new course entitled leadership characteristics:
"Archaeology in Evangelism." In other
courses teachers are helping students to
understand how course materials are SoYouWmt
usable in gospel work. ToBea
The D.Min. program has a special Leader
concentration in evangelism and church
growth. There are major conferences
such as SEEDS '96, the one on church
planting that was held at the seminary in
June. A certificate and master's program
for lay witnessing is being developed as
well. Besides teaching traditional and Unlock your creativity:
proven methods of evangelism, an
important new course is "Innovative
Evangelism." Creative teachers and
students will seek to develop and test new
ideas for reaching population segments
that have not been reached.
This increased emphasis on evan
gelism has led the seminary faculty to
establish an umbrella organization to
coordinate and strengthen its offerings
in this area. While the official name has
yet to be chosen, this entity will be
somewhat like a school of evangelism.
US$6.00 each includes shipping I',
It is not separate from the rest of the $8.00 outside U.S. includes shipping =*'
seminary. In fact, all the departments of
the seminary are represented on its f|ZV;!j!yHnisterial 'Supply .Center
administrative committee and the 'pt::-::,l: P.O. Box 66 i;
seminary as a whole still approves '::' :-;Keene,TX 76059
programs and grants degrees. It will
1-3643 '
bring focus to their work, strengthen
common resources, reduce overlap, and
more effectively serve the church.
MINISTRY/JULY 1996 29
Pastor's Pastor.
Conserving the catch
James A. Cress
"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like
a dragnet that was cast into the sea and
gathered some of every kind, which,
when it was full, they drew to shore;
and they sat down and gathered the
good into vessels, but threw the bad
away. So it will be at the end of the
age. The angels will come forth, [and]
separate the wicked from among the
just" (Matt. 13:47-49, NKJV).
A
dventists are doing the work of
angels! Many times that is
expressed in charitable, self-
denying, and benevolent actions. But
with regard to new believers, too often
we do that which Jesus says must be
reserved for the day of judgment and
for angels who will serve as God's
agents. We want to sort the catch. We
want to discard the bad. We want to stop
fishing and start evaluating the catch.
In short, we want to judge.
Jesus took the illustration from
everyday life a large net, pulled by
boats, gathering all in its path. If it were
possible for the dragnet to select only
that which is edible, clean, and
palatable, then the eventual process of
sorting, preserving, and discarding
would be unnecessary. However, this is
not the function of the dragnet. It
gathers all that it sweeps across, and all
remain together until the time the
fisherman, not the fish, do the evaluation
(judgment).
This parable is not a depiction of
one-to-one, personal evangelism; it is
far more inclusive. It is all-embracing
in its scope. As Chaney and Lewis say:
"Most modern evangelicals who, if they
fish at all, fish for sport, have misunder
stood the figure Jesus used. They think
30 MINISTRY/JULY 1996
of a fisherman as a man who uses a rod,
line, and lure. Fishing is a one-on-one
proposition. In this way, this text has been
used to encourage modern Christians to
become personal evangelists. The early
disciples fished with nets. Fish were in
schools, hopefully, and were certainly not
caught one at a time. Growing churches
have captured that vision. They have
learned how to fish with nets."1
This parable teaches two clear
lessons. First, God expects great
numbers to be gathered in. Second, He
expects the church to cope with the
reality that both good and bad will be
caught.
The good and the bad
Like the parable of the wheat and
tares (Matt. 13:24-30), the parable of
the dragnet demonstrates that both good
and bad will remain together until the
end of the world. These two parables
also avoid a separatism that prevents the
people of God from associating with the
people of the world. We are to be in the
world, but not of the world.
Unlike other theological models for
developing disciples or nurturing
newborns, this parable does not deal
with any transition or process from
bad to good or from good to bad, but
simply asserts the fact that both exist
together in the same environment. That
environment is the church.
Jesus clearly teaches that it is the role
of the church to nurture new believers
more than to evaluate them. Peter
Wagner says, "In the early stages of
growth it is sometimes difficult to tell
true disciples from counterfeits. But that
judgment is not usually the respon
sibility of the evangelist who is
concerned more with discipling than
perfecting."2 The church's role is to take
that new believer into full discipleship
where their character can enter the
discipline of being perfected.
Jesus does not envision the church
as a "holier than thou" club that stands
over against the rest of the world. Just
as He ate with publicans and sinners,
so His disciples will move and live
among people who do not believe, as
well as among those who do, and yet
who behave badly. The dragnet allows
for variety, and the possibility of
undesirable fish being part of the catch.
"Men are all alike sinners, but not
sinners alike."3
Some of those sinners, and a good deal
of their misbehavior, will be exhibited
within the milieu of the congregation. Of
course, much of this misbehavior will
occur in the lives of new believers
(recently pulled in by the dragnet).
If we understand the implications of
nurturing newborns, this energetic
misbehavior is to be expected. If we
understand the imperative of discipling,
then we know that the same misbe
havior is to be carefully corrected and
developed into appropriate behavior and
fruitful discipleship. Both of these
objectives are mandated.
But either way, discarding the bad
in the catch is the work of angels!
' Charles L. Chaney and Ron S. Lewis, Design
for Church Growth (Nashville: Broadman Press,
1977).
2 C. Peter Wagner, Church Growth and the
Whole Gospel (San Francisco: Harper and Row,
1981), p. 140.
3 Myron S. Augsburger, The Communicator's
Commentary: Matthew (Waco, Texas: Word
Books, 1982), p. 179.
Shop Talk
Treat for children
Just a little thing has
caught on big with the
children at our church and
bonded me to them as their
pastor. Each week following
the worship service, after
saying goodbye to exiting
parishioners, I immediately
go to my study, where 25
or 30 children are waiting.
They have come to expect
a small piece of candy,
for which they thank me
and leave.
This little thing has
developed into a real ritual.
Parents have told me, "The
children will never forget
you. To them you will
always be a favorite." I
don't have a big ministry to
our children, but this at
least gives me one personal
contact each week.
Thomas Schultz, Winnipeg,
Manitoba, Canada
Treat for the elderly
Several senior saints live
in a nursing home adjacent
to our church. Occasionally
my husband and I have
lunch with them. The
nursing home activities
director counts this as a
contact with the patients,
which they need for their
continued accreditation.
More than that, the residents
really enjoy seeing us put on
our bibs and share a meal
with them. Betty L.
McCallister, New
Martinsville. West Virginia
Physical fitness club
We have organized a
physical fitness club. A
number of elders, deacons,
and other members get
together three times a
week for jogging or brisk
walking. While our
physical health has
improved significantly,
most of all we have enjoyed
building relationships.
Danielo D. Palomares,
Davao del Sur, Philippines
SongView software
SongView is computer
database software that
enables your worship
leader to compile an
unlimited number of song
lyrics, access them
instantly during a service,
and display them on a
projection TV, screen, or
other video device. The
result is a smooth transition
between song lyrics
without empty screens,
out-of-sequence songs, or
other visual distractions.
The virtually seamless
flow of song lyrics
promotes participation
and facilitates spontaneous
worship.
SongView saves you
from those mad dashes from
the word processor to the
photocopier to create time-
consuming overhead
transparencies. And no more
costly slides or out-of-date
hymnals and songbooks. No
more hastily handwritten,
misspelled transparencies of
newly learned songs. No
more fumbling with
overheads, either.
Worship leaders can
create, modify, and delete
songs without interrupting
the flow of the service.
Within seconds they can
find any song in their
inventory and display it.
SongView can track song
key, style, copyright, and
your license number.
Pastors can create sermon
notes and announcements
on their own computers,
import them, and display
them with this software.
For more information live green plant, rose, or
call 508-252-5339 or fax fresh floral arrangement
508-252-5613. Or you can and liken it to the growth
write: SongView, P.O. Box and care of the new
460, Rehoboth, MA 02769 child. Becky Anderson,
Bemidjii, Minnesota
Creative baby dedications
You can make baby Stress without distress
dedications special for Take a "minute
parents by purchasing vacation" to remember a
name plaques containing happy time. Quit tugging;
the new baby's name with take one thing at a time.
its Christian meaning. When things pile up, take
Expound on the meaning one thing at a time. Share
of the name during the your love with someone.
dedication prayer. Have a good laugh. Build
Presenting these name in time today for play.
plaques has become a Smile. Sort out the possible
tradition to which new from the impossible. Share
parents look forward. a dream with a friend. Give
Another way of yourself a pat on the back.
bringing creativity into Give someone else a pat
baby dedications is to on the back. Dan Tohline,
present the parents with a Jonesboro, Louisiana
•'.!-:2:i^-^^£j|^^s%kS^^^!@^iii^^^S:?t--"*':
i'''\v'i' V'XI 1«'i^r'iiV'i°^'r-rt'ii''O :'X F^ilr i ,r^'ux ^V»'\.C vi''>-'!t'vJl,r^t'• ^''>! ',','':'.I'• ! '.^'-(. ^1
;:;;;f;rc;gtri;|gj,;p||] m^jts-t', !vf S; :?<!;'..? i.' '/:• '• S'; t ; ' •';: o • :•!
^^/"f'PllfS?^*^|::|5S~~"?^S7":« !:r vs-s<^f^v ^.«S|
yt .by 'Matj^ B&tey 4 irtcli)de| textbook, 3: :,auc|ocas-'~, -;
^
- ' ^'Sjjjgg^fligijs^
ntstfiicjI, Sopp[y^S'en¥hars Unlimited^ '
-^tJii^44;'j£s^ix,z^5^-'.4v-^
/i Orders; f800) 982-334* . ;
Bible Credits: Texts credited to NIV are from the Holy Bible, New
International Version. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, International Bible
Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers. Texts credited
to NKJV are from The New King James Version. Copyright 1 979, 1 980,
1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc., Publishers.
MINISTRY/JULY 1996 31
 Voice of ftophecy RESPONDS

D 1 I
reole ouht to o W ' as there really a golden era in

our past, when America was Christian

and righteousness was the norm?

Can that past be reclaimed through

reople ought to be chaste. shrewd political action?

The religious right is driven by a

passion for societal goodness and by a

hatred of crime and immorality. Are there

reople really need to Keep the jaooath. hidden dangers in its efforts to restore
#,,..
our r|obih% thkidjfgh legislative action?

Could the passion for public morality,

for social uniformity, lead to an explosive

leople ought to think more like 1 do. amalgmation of patriotism, church

affiliation, and racial identity?

What does Bible prophecy say?

What does it mean?

reople ought to loots: more liKe 1 do.

Lonnie Melashenko offers an insightful analysis of the strengths, the

weaknesses and the dangers of the religious right. A cassette of the
two programs is available for $5.00. Ask for "Let's Make a Law."

Sundays, July 7 &> 14

(BROADCASTS MAY AIR ON SATURDAY IN SOME LOCATIONS)

VOICE OF PROPHECY Box 55 Los ANGELES, CA 90053 1-800-872-0055